


The Tempest Of Hearts, Souls & Magic

by Keira_63



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-23
Updated: 2013-02-11
Packaged: 2017-11-19 07:04:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 24
Words: 37,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/570545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keira_63/pseuds/Keira_63
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Voldemort has somehow got his youthful looks back, along with his diary memories of one Ginny Weasley. Will she escape his clutches or be doomed to spend eternity with him? Tom/Ginny. EDITED TO ADD PROLOGUE & BANNER ADDED.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t own Harry Potter, it is the property of the brilliant J.K Rowling. This story is the product of her marvellous characters and world and my imagination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story begins a few months after the end of Half Blood Prince. However, there was no fight at Hogwarts and the whole Malfoy killing Dumbledore plot is gone, but Malfoy is still bad. Dumbledore is still alive and so is Sirius, who managed to return from the veil. This story goes to an alternate universe after the events of Half Blood Prince and does not follow the Deathly Hallows plot.
> 
> So you know some of the character status:  
> Percy is still believing the ministry and has yet to speak to his family.  
> Remus and Tonks have finally got together, but not because of Dumbledore’s death, they just finally came to their senses.  
> Bill has not been savaged by Greyback, but he also isn't dating Fleur  
> Charlie has suspended working with dragons in Romania indefinitely and is now working full time for the Order and splitting his time between The Burrow and Grimmauld Place.  
> Sirius came back through the veil with no permanent injury a few months after he went through and after new evidence involving Peter Pettigrew, he was cleared of all charges  
> Harry and Ginny broke up due to the danger and will remain so, especially with both of them now in so much danger. But they do still love each other, though it may not be mentioned too much.
> 
> If you have a question about a characters status or whether a certain event happened or not then just send me a message and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

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The tall figure had pale, snakelike features and his spindly hands moved his wand in fluid motions over the cauldron, muttering in Latin. His mouth turned into a cocky smile as the potion turned the exact shade of silver needed and he waved Lucius forward. The man stepped forward, head bowed, to place a worn and tattered diary into the cauldron. A small puff of silver smoke and the potion was ready. Conjuring a small silver goblet he dipped it into the potion, brought it to his lips and drank.

The effect was not flashy or explosive, but slow. Dark hair sprouted from his head and his snakelike features became more human. A few minutes later the man that stood there was no longer Voldemort, but the image of the younger Tom Riddle.

Inspecting his new body, he found himself pleased. Smirking, he looked round at the black cloaked figures, kneeling on the floor surrounding him. His army, ready and willing to make him even more powerful, king of the world.

But first, there was someone he needed to find. Someone he hadn’t seen for a while. Only then would his power be complete, when she was there by his side, queen to his king. 

“Ready or not, I’m coming to find you … Ginevra”


	2. Danger In The Air

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Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his office, contemplating the problem of horcruxes. The diary was gone, as well as the ring. He was bothered by the fact that the locket had been a fake, but he would have to deal with that. He hoped that whoever R.A.B was, they had succeeded in destroying the locket. But they would almost certainly have to attempt to find it and check.  
He sighed, feeling weary, Voldemort had been more active lately and he couldn’t help but worry that he was planning something terrible. They had doubled the wards on the school just to be safe, though Severus had not heard of any planned attack on the school.

Suddenly the was a flash in his fire and the man himself emerged from the flames, “good evening Severus, to what do I owe the pleasure?”  
Snape looked at him with a panicked look and Dumbledore was suddenly worried, “I have urgent news”, he spoke quickly, “gather the Order immediately, I don’t want to repeat myself.”  
Dumbledore nodded, but Snape continued, “Headmaster, it would also be wise to have Potter and Granger attending, as well as the entire Weasley family. This will concern them most closely.”  
Dumbledore nodded again and dismissed Snape, “we will meet in Grimmauld Place in one hour Severus.” Snape nodded and disappeared, robes billowing, out the door.  
Dumbledore wondered what could possibly be so important that the entire Weasley clan, as well as Harry and Miss Granger, would be needed in the meeting. But he did not have time to worry about that right now, there were Order members to alert. 

One hour later and the Order, along with Harry, Hermione and the younger Weasleys, were seated in the biggest room in Grimmauld Place and looking expectantly at Dumbledore.  
He stood and looked around the room, “One hour ago Severus came to my office with urgent information. He deemed it important that everyone was present so he would not need to repeat himself and so this meeting was called. For those wondering at the presence of the younger Weasleys as well as Harry and Hermione, they were requested by Severus who deemed their presence necessary. Since I am sure we are all curious, I will pass you over to Severus.”  
Snape stood up and began speaking immediately. “I believe it is necessary to start at the beginning of the story, so my apologies to those who already know parts of this story. We all know of the diary of Tom Riddle, used as a Horcrux to preserve his 16 year old self. This diary was entrusted to Lucius Malfoy and he made sure it found its way into the hands of Miss Weasley here while she was in her first year of Hogwarts.”  
Everyone looked at Ginny for a moment and she paled a little at the memory of the diary.  
Snape continued on, “this part of Lord Voldemort’s soul possessed her and eventually led to the opening of the Chamber of Secrets. Mr Potter then proceeded to destroy the diary and also the piece of Voldemort’s soul. However, this is not the whole story. It turns out that while the piece of soul was destroyed and the diary no longer a Horcrux, Voldemort appears to have known more magic at 16 than we realised. The diary has a sort of defence mechanism, when it was destroyed it retained the memories of all that was written between Tom Riddle and Ginny Weasley, as well as a slight imprint, a psychic picture if you will, of the young Tom Riddle.” 

At this Dumbledore seemed to be deep in worried thought, the possibilities it could bring were dangerous. “Mr Potter returned the diary to Lucius Malfoy who has recently returned it to Lord Voldemort. This is where the trouble begins. Voldemort discovered a potion I will not attempt to explain to you that uses the diary as an ingredient. He completed this potion a few hours ago and drank it. Because of the diary its effects were to change his appearance into that the diary remembers. Due to his advanced age though, he is now of the appearance of the 21 year old Voldemort. But the diary also contained the conversations his younger self had with Miss Weasley and he absorbed these memories.”  
Here Ginny gasped, scared as to what this could mean, she had thought it was all behind her. Snape gave her a look that could almost be sympathetic before continuing.  
“Due to these memories he knows all that she told Riddle and has in a way absorbed some of her essence. He has formed a bond with her and wishes to have her. He knows she is an intelligent, fairly powerful, pure-blood witch and sees her as, for want of a better term, a type of soul mate.”  
These last sentences produced an outcry from the audience. Ginny burst into tears at the thought of coming face to face with Tom Riddle again and while her parents tried to comfort her the room was buzzing with the impact this would have and what could be done to prevent it.  
Snape began speaking again but his voice was drowned out and he had to shout to be heard, “I know that Voldemort won’t ask me to attempt to take her, it would be too dangerous for my position as a spy, but I think he’s planning on using the Slytherins to take her.”  
This was not good news, they all knew the Slytherins would do pretty much anything to garner favour with Voldemort.

Dumbledore could think of no other alternative, “Molly, Arthur, I’m afraid we’re going to need to pull Ron and Ginny out of school.”  
He turned to Hermione and Harry, “you two as well. We can’t leave Miss Weasley in school since the danger is too great, but if we only pull her out then Voldemort will see that we were forewarned and will know he has a spy in his midst. If we pull all four out then it will seem that they just sense the danger and Voldemort’s power and that the Order are protecting them.”  
Mrs Weasley looked worried, “but what about their education Albus?”  
Dumbledore looked grave, “we must think of their safety first Molly. But Sirius and Remus are often here and can help them keep up and I’m sure myself, Minerva and Severus can pop in from time to time.”  
Molly and Arthur nodded and Sirius gave a grim smile to Dumbledore, “well, as Harry’s godfather I’m all for your idea. I never thought I’d hear myself say it, but you can’t be too careful.”  
The mood was sombre and sometime during Snape’s report Tonks’ hair had changed from vivid pink to jet black, a sure sign that something was wrong with the mood.  
Dumbledore stood up once more, “well, I believe that concludes our meeting. Molly, Arthur, it would probably be best to stay here are Grimmauld Place for a while. The same goes for Hermione and Harry.”  
He turned to Ginny, “I’ll come by tomorrow to discuss security arrangements with you Ginevra.”  
Ginny nodded and then turned and ran out of the room before anyone could stop her.  
Dumbledore’s eyes appeared to have lost all their sparkle, “leave her be for a while. This is very difficult for her, the memories and the danger she’s in now. I’ll be back tomorrow around noon.”  
With that he too swept out of the room, followed closely by Kingsley, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. 

A few minutes later and the only ones left were Sirius, Remus and Tonks. Mr and Mrs Weasley and Charlie had gone up to bed, Bill had gone up with Fleur, the Golden Trio were in the boys' room to give Ginny space, Fred and George had gone back to the shop and Ginny was in her room. Tonks’ hair had managed to lighten up a bit to a chocolaty brown colour, but she still lacked her trademark pink look. Remus’ face looked more lined than normal and even Sirius, the eternal teenager, seemed a little older.  
“This changes everything,” said Remus is a tired voice, “now we have to deal with attempting to destroy Voldemort while protecting Ginny from a psychopathic maniac who thinks she’s some kind of soul mate.”  
Sirius gave one of his trademark grins, though it didn’t seem as genuine as normal, “well at least we don’t have to worry about the them all being at Hogwarts, we can protect them better from here. It’ll be fun Moony, they’re letting us loose on impressionable minds, how little they must know.”  
Both Remus and Tonks had to smile at this, a typically Sirius comment. Tonks sighed, “I’m worried about poor Ginny though, this is going to take its toll on her, she’s always been so happy. I never saw what she was like after the first year, but being possessed by a young Voldemort cannot be a good experience.”  
The two men nodded in agreement, “but Ginny’s strong,” said Remus, “and we will protect her until we can end this.”  
On that determined note Sirius set off for his quarters and Remus and Tonks to their bedroom.

Ginny was lying in her room, eyes red rimmed. Hermione had come in to grab some pyjamas and then gone to room with Harry and Ron for the night, correctly guessing that Ginny needed some alone time. She cursed herself constantly, how could she have been so stupid with that diary, as he father had said, it was clearly full of dark magic. But she’s never realised it could come back to haunt her in this way. Dumbledore had been so sure it was over and done with and she’d always seen him as infallible.  
While she was perfectly content to admit to her parents, family and friends that she was scared, she was reluctant to let them see how deep that fear ran. Though she had explained the story to her parents, brothers, Dumbledore, as well as Harry and Hermione, none of them really knew exactly what it had been like. Tom had known her every secret, dreams, hopes and desires. She’d bared her soul only to find out it was all a lie.  
That was the last time she’d ever confided completely in someone. He’d destroyed her life, made her lose almost all her faith in people and now he was, for all intents and purposes, back and intent on completely ruining her life. Again. Just fucking fantastic. With that not so cheery thought, she lay down and led the darkness overwhelm her.


	3. Dreams, Fears & Occlumency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginny has nightmares and learns she is to study Occlumency.

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She was in some kind of room, but couldn’t see any walls or floor, only the inky darkness surrounding her. Though there was no noise or sign of any other living being she couldn’t help the feelings of panic and dread. She darted her eyes around, in an attempt to discover where she was, but was unsuccessful. Deciding that standing there would do no good she attempted to move in a random direction, hoping in vain to find some sort of door or a way out of the darkness. But she found nothing.  
Suddenly she paused, thinking she’d heard the whisper of a man’s voice, but dismissed it. She was just hearing things she decided. But then the whispers got louder though she could not discern what they were saying. But she knew the voice … Tom Riddle. He haunted her even in her dreams.  
She started running, everywhere and anywhere in an attempt to escape the voices. But they followed her, growing louder and louder until she could hear what they were saying.  
“Ginevra, where are you. I’m coming for you my little Ginevra, very soon. Then we can be together forever. You can’t hide forever and you know I’ll catch up sooner or later.”  
The voice repeated the words over and over while she held her head screaming in an attempt to block them out. “No, you’re gone Tom, you were gone over 4 years ago. I won’t go with you, you won’t find me. You can’t.”  
With a last scream she felt sucked out of the world of darkness and was suddenly standing in front of Tom, who was beckoning to her. She shut her eyes tightly …

She woke with a scream, covered in sweat and panting. The door burst open and Ron, Harry, Hermione, Charlie and Remus all surged in to find her sitting on her bed in tears and shaking violently.  
Immediately sensing something was wrong they all converged on her, all speaking at once until Remus had the sense to silence them all, “ok quiet you lot, no one can understand a word we’re saying.” He turned to Ginny, “Ginny, what happened?”  
She stuttered a bit, her voice thick with tears, but after a few moments she began, “It was so dark, so very dark, no sound or anything. But then there was whispering, all around me, I couldn’t get away from it. Then I realised who it was. It was Him.” They all exchanged worried glances, knowing exactly who ’Him’ referred to.  
Ginny began sobbing harder, “he kept telling me he was coming for me, that I couldn’t hide forever. You can’t let him get me, you just can’t …” She broke off here, her tears overwhelming her.  
Remus sighed and turned to look at Hermione, Charlie and Ron, “you three stay with her for a while. Hermione can stay in her room once she’s asleep.”  
He turned to Harry and motioned for the boy to follow him out the room. He got straight to the point, “we could have a problem here Harry, with the apparent connection between Ginny and Voldemort, however thin, he could be attempting to give her these dreams, perhaps to make her easier to locate or capture. It could be something similar to what happened to you, but on a smaller scale.”  
Harry looked worried at this, he cared greatly about Ginny. “You’ll talk to Dumbledore about this won’t you Remus?”  
He nodded, “yes, I’ll talk to him tonight and we may get Ginny to start studying occlumency for her safety.”  
Harry nodded and set off for his room. Remus sighed, he had to speak to Albus, it was going to be a long night. 

Back in Ginny’s room, Charlie, Ron and Hermione were still attempting to calm Ginny down. They had managed to calm her sobs to some sniffling, but she was still very fearful. Hermione sat on the bed with her, hugging her close and trying to reassure her. Charlie and Ron looked grave, murmuring what they hoped were reassuring words. About an hour later, once Ginny had fallen into a semi - peaceful sleep, the two boys left for their own rooms, leaving Ginny asleep and Hermione watching over her.

 

The next morning Ginny awoke from a semi - restful sleep, luckily no more dreams of Tom had haunted her. He was always Tom, not Voldemort.  
Voldemort was not the one who had enchanted her at the tender age of 11, it was Tom she was truly afraid of. Voldemort was the nightmare, the evil looking being, whereas Tom was perfectly normal looking, though with an aura of danger and evil surrounding him. It was this that made him all the more dangerous and frightening to Ginny. People did always say that the things you fear the most are the more realistic.  
Shaking the overly depressing thoughts out of her head, Ginny swung herself out of bed and pulled on her dressing gown and slippers. Padding down the stairs she checked her watch and saw it was already almost midday, no wonder she felt so well rested. She pondered the idea of going back upstairs to get dressed, but in the end she couldn’t be bothered and proceeded to the kitchen where she was sure much of the Order would be.

Opening the door, Ginny saw the entire room full of people turn to stare at her. Her whole family were there, along with Harry, Hermione, Remus, Sirius and strangely enough, both Snape and Dumbledore.  
She went as red as her hair under their gazes, especially when she remembered that she was still in her pyjamas and dressing gown. After a moment of awkward silence, her mother turned to her, “Ginny dear, Professor Dumbledore would like a word with you if you don’t mind.”  
Snapping herself back to reality, Ginny spoke, “sure mum, I’ll be right back, I think I better get dressed first.”  
With those words she left the room and flew back upstairs to her bedroom. She was annoyed, everyone obviously knew about her dream, they were all looking at her like she would break any second and she hated it. It reminded her of the few months after she had been possessed in her first year. Damn Tom Riddle to the depths of Hell. Deciding she better hurry up, she picked the first clothes she could find, her jeans and blue t-shirt and scraped her long red hair into a messy ponytail. 

Running back downstairs, she entered the kitchen to find it empty save for Professor Dumbledore. He motioned to a seat with his hand and she sat down obligingly. He began speaking immediately.  
“Miss Weasley, I’m sure you know am now aware of the dream you had last night. I will not ask you to reveal the particulars as it would be a difficult ordeal for your and I have already heard the gist of it from others. It is my belief that Voldemort is using Legilimency to break into your mind and plant dreams there in order to weaken and scare you, eventually leasing to him succeeding in capturing you. It is for this reason that I wish you to begin learning Occlumency.”  
He took a pause here, allowing Ginny to process the news. Her first thought was who her teacher would be. She remembered Harry’s complaints about Occlumency lessons with Snape and her expression turned horrified at the thought of being taught by Snape, having him run through her memories. But once again Dumbledore showed his astute observation with his next words; “No, Miss Weasley, you will not be being taught by Professor Snape. That, I’m afraid, was a disaster when he taught Harry and he would not do it willingly again. Your teacher shall be myself, you will have lessons twice a week with me, here of course, for you shall have to remain only here for the foreseeable future I’m afraid.”

Ginny zoned out a little there, Dumbledore himself was going to teach her, what an honour. But when she thought about it more, she realised Dumbledore would probably only do this if she was in serious danger.  
Fear washed over her again and she turned her mind back to Dumbledore’s words, “ … you will learn not only occlumency but also some powerful mind shields, as well as practicing some strong magic like your patronus.”  
She nodded to him, not trusting herself to talk, lest she should reveal her many fears.  
Dumbledore looked at her kindly with his bright blue eyes, “I shall see you at noon tomorrow for your first lesson Miss Weasley. Good day.”  
She pulled herself out of her reverie in time to speak, “thank you Professor. See you tomorrow.”  
He swept out of the room and she stood still for several moments before everyone came hurrying back in to see how her meeting with Dumbledore had gone and what she would be doing. Feeling more than a little overwhelmed by the people and the noise she gave some short answers, denied any hunger and hurried off to the silent solitude of her room, fervently hoping Hermione would use that famed intelligence and leave her alone for a few hours.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Malfoy Manor Voldemort was fuming. He had been looking into Ginevra’s mind, gently so as not to alert her to his presence. He was merely checking up on what she was doing. He was greatly displeased by her meeting with Dumbledore. The girl was intelligent and would pick up occlumency fast - it would make it much more difficult for him to get her.  
But he had hoped to try invading her mind with a dream tonight, as he had done the previous night. But he had suddenly found himself blocked and Ginevra had not even learnt occlumency yet. He could only assume that Dumbledore had placed some mental barriers in Ginerva’s mind to temporarily prevent him from invading her mind.  
He assumed Dumbledore would remove these once she had learnt Occlumency as they were fairly weak shields. He was only unable to break them due to the distance between himself and Ginevra. Damn Dumbledore, as soon as he could get the fool out of the way he would, the quicker the better.

Bringing himself back to reality he could hear muffled voices outside the door, Lucius and one of the new Death Eater recruits, Halloway, who was muttering quietly.  
“You said this Voldemort was fearsome, a great leader and powerful wizard. He looks about twenty-five and seems obsessed over some insignificant teenage girl. I’m not gonna stick around if this is who I’m supposed to serve.”  
Lucius was whispering back, “the Dark Lord is a great wizard and despite his youthful appearance he has almost a century of experience, much more than your sorry self. As for his obsession over a teenage girl, there is no such thing, he is merely thorough about his work.”  
Voldemort smirked at this, Lucius always was loyal, annoying and with too many personal vendettas, but he was loyal and that was why he wasn’t dead. Plus, it had been his giving the diary to Ginevra that enabled them to meet. Still, the man was still walking on thin ice, especially if he didn’t get Ginevra soon.

But taking his mind off the many flaws of Lucius Malfoy he turned his attention to the second problem, Halloway. No one could be allowed to disrespect him and he would make an example of Halloway just to show he was still the same wizard they bowed before previously.  
Summoning both Lucius and Halloway with the dark mark he waited a few seconds before both appeared in front of him, clearly trying to give the impression that they had not just been arguing right outside the room. Both immediately knelt before him until an imperial wave of his hand indicated that they could stand.  
He decided to be succinct and simple. He addressed both men with cool authority, “no matter what my looks or interests I am still the same wizard I was before and you would do well to remember it.”  
Then he turned his cold glare on Halloway. “I do not accept criticism lightly.” before the man could even speak there was a flash of green light and his form lay crumpled on the ground.  
He turned then to Lucius, who looked positively terrified, thinking he would be next.  
“Get rid of the trash Lucius and please remember my warning. It would be prudent to pass on my message to the rest of the incompetent fools I call servants.”  
Lucius gave a stiff nod, vanished the body and bowed before practically fleeing out of the door.

Lounging back in his green and silver armchair, Voldemort’s mind once again turned to the red haired girl who constantly haunted his thoughts.


	4. Lessons With Dumbledore & Trying To Forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginny starts her lessons with Dumbledore

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It was 2 o clock the next afternoon and at 12 Grimmauld Place a large host of interested people were waiting eagerly outside the kitchen for one Ginny Weasley to finish her first lesson with Albus Dumbledore. Twenty minutes later Dumbledore emerged levitating a slim red haired girl whose eyes were closed. The group began to panic immediately, fussing and worrying until Dumbledore calmed them with a wave of his hand, “Miss Weasley is in perfect health. She is merely sleeping, constant Occlumency practice and casting spells like the Patronus takes an awful lot out of a witch or wizard, especially one of only sixteen. After all this work her mind will be more open tonight so I’ve placed some mind shields in her head and left a dreamless sleep draught for her to take before she goes to bed tonight.” He bid them all goodbye and headed back to Hogwarts.

Ginny woke up two hours later with only a small headache and a large appetite. The work with Professor Dumbledore had been very draining, especially having to relieve all her memories, good and bad. The worst were the memories of Tom, but Dumbledore tried to focus more on memories of her younger years, before she had gone off to Hogwarts. She was grateful to him for that.

She padded down the stairs to find the kitchen fairly empty, with only Harry, Ron, Hermione, Remus, Sirius and her mother present, a small number compared to the usual dozen or two often present. They all asked her enthusiastic questions about her lesson while they all tucked into soup, but were always careful to not ask too deeply about the memories she had been forced to relieve. Her mother fussed over her, which was comforting and normal, but still rather annoying. She wasn’t a china doll about to break, nor was she on the brink of a mental breakdown. 

No said her brain, you’re just obsessively hunted by the most evil wizard of the twentieth century, and that’s just so much better she thought sarcastically to herself. Rolling her eyes discretely she returned to her soup and ate silently.

Being cooped up in the house was not what Ginny enjoyed, she wanted to roam about Diagon Alley with her friends and just feel the sun on her face. She couldn’t even get Ron, Hermione or Harry to get something for her very often because of the new rules Dumbledore had imposed upon the Order. Any of the children had to be accompanied by at least three Order members when they went out, four if you were Harry. Even the adults had to travel in pairs or more, unless given permission by Dumbledore to do otherwise. But at least they all had a chance to go out, she did not.

But she was sensible enough not to try and sneak out, they all remembered what had happened to Sirius all too well, even though he had returned from the veil in the end. But that didn’t stop her from feeling like a caged animal. She was constantly looking for things to do to keep her mind from wandering to Tom, as it inevitably did when she found herself with nothing to occupy her time with.

She, along with Harry, Ron and Hermione, had been given the school books they would have had if they were going back to Hogwarts, in hope that they would keep up with their studies. It was a week later and in typical fashion Hermione had every one memorised, Harry had vaguely skimmed over a few and Ron hadn’t opened a single one, resolutely declaring that it was still the summer holidays and he would do no work. Ginny had surprised herself when she had finished all her school books only shortly after Hermione. Her parents pretended they were glad she was taking her studies seriously in the dangerous times, but everyone knew she read to keep her mind off the darker things in her life.

Sirius and Remus subtly helped her by offering books from the Black family library or Remus’ personal collection that they thought she would enjoy. Even Dumbledore chipped in occasionally, giving her a book or two to read on subjects like the Patronus, shields and Occlumency after many of their lessons. She was very grateful to them all and tried to show it by helping with chores and cleaning some of the worse areas of Grimmauld Place whenever she wasn’t studying. Her mother was delighted to teach her to cook and then the house was filled with the constant aroma of food, much to Ron’s joy, as Ginny found she dearly loved to cook and appeared to have inherited her mother’s talent for it.

She would often think about the fact that it was the whole Tom mess that had enabled her to improve so much in her studies, become a great cook and help people. While she was happy to be learning so many things, she couldn’t help but feel that she’d trade it all for a world where Tom Riddle wasn’t hunting her. 

Her lessons with Dumbledore were progressing well. She was much more proficient with her Patronus now and her hexes were coming on nicely. She was itching to unleash her even more powerful bat-bogey hex on someone, but as there were no Death Eaters around the opportunity had yet to present itself. 

The most useful thing she had learnt was a shield charm, but not just a normal one, an incredibly powerful version. You cast it with your wand but controlled it with your mind and it enveloped you in a shield that protected the caster from any and every spell with the exception of Avada Kedavra. Luckily, since Voldemort obviously wanted Ginny alive, they wouldn’t use the Killing Curse on her. The only problem was that it required intense concentration to keep up and exhausted her afterwards. But she could hold it for 10 minutes now and, if what Dumbledore said was correct and it usually was, this was an incredible feat and she would still improve. Ginny knew that the shield could be what protected her from Voldemort’s grasp and she therefore spent many hours trying to master it.


	5. Safe House Plans

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It was a few weeks after the beginning of Ginny’s lessons and Dumbledore had gathered all adult Order members in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place for a meeting. Making sure they had placed an imperturbable charm on the door, the meeting began. Various assignments were discussed and then talk turned to the Ministry.  
Dumbledore spoke solemnly, “I have reason to believe that the Ministry is beginning to fall under the control of Voldemort and the Death Eaters.”  
There was an outbreak of murmurings at this, it was bad news from all angles.  
Dumbledore held his hand up and the talking ceased, “key areas of the Ministry are being infiltrated by Death Eaters, meaning that they now have access to classified information. It is likely that they will be able to deduce where our headquarters are and with time and Ministry power they could be able to break down our defences and enter.”

Even Dumbledore’s calm demeanour couldn’t stop the shouting now, cries of “how long”, “what will we do” arose, unable to be silenced by Dumbledore until he sent some sparks out of his wand.  
“It will take them a while to break our defences but the contingency plan I have must be put into motion now. There will be different assignments for you all. I have picked a large property that has no registering in either magical or muggle records. It is in a pretty desolate location and every possible defence has been placed on this house, I am secret keeper. We will moving items and furniture there during the next few weeks and in one month we should all have moved safely there.”  
The logic to the plan had started to calm the group down and they began to murmur plans for packing among themselves until Dumbledore interrupted them.  
“That isn’t the whole plan. I’m afraid that Death Eater activity is rising and Severus has informed me that Voldemort is impatient and wishes to obtain Miss Weasley soon. Therefore she will be moved to her own safe house. She shall be accompanied by seven Order members, two of which will remain with her in the safe house. Those who will be guarding her and the two of them who will remain will not be informed of their duties until the day they leave in order to minimise the security risk. Until then, only I shall know the names of the seven. Does everyone understand?”  
The Order members nodded and murmured their consent, though Dumbledore could clearly see that Molly and Arthur, as well as the older Weasley brothers present, were unhappy at the thought of being separated from Ginny for a extended period of time. However, they knew what war was like and that it was in Ginny’s best interests to go through with Dumbledore’s plan. 

Remus sighed, “now all that’s left is to break the news to the kids.”  
This put a bit of a damper on the plan, for they all knew that Ginny would be upset at having to leave her family, as well as worried about causing too much trouble for the Order. But it had to be done and the adults decided that it was best to get it over with. There was a bit of resistance from Moody about telling non-Order members sensitive information, but it was deemed necessary and Dumbledore pointed out that all but Ginny were now of age and would probably be inducted into the Order soon and obviously Ginny needed to know since the whole mess concerned her most intimately.  
Sirius clapped his hands and stood up, “I’ll go fetch them all then and bring them here?”  
Dumbledore nodded his consent and Sirius left to room to seek out the younger members of the household. Silence reigned as the adults tried to think of the best way to break the news. 

Fifteen minutes later and the door opened, Sirius walked in followed by Harry, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, Fred and George. Though Fred and George had been of age a few years they had yet to officially join the Order. Dumbledore was planning on initiating them along with the ‘Golden Trio’, though of course they did not know this yet.  
Dumbledore conjured up chairs and they all sat down looking nervous, Ginny more so than the others. She was a very perceptive girl and knew that what the Order said wasn’t going to be liked by her, but it was her duty to go along with their plans in order to ensure her safety and help in Voldemort’s defeat.  
She turned to Dumbledore and looked him straight in the eye, “so what’s the bad news?”  
Dumbledore chuckled quietly, Ginny Weasley had always been a very intelligent and observant girl though she was often overlooked with six brothers around. “Yes I’m afraid you will see it as bad news Miss Weasley.”  
All the younger occupants of the room looked worried as Dumbledore spoke. “The Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix is being moved to a safer location unknown to anyone but ourselves. We will be moved in by the end of the month.”  
The kids looked a little startled and Harry soon voiced their important question, “but I thought Grimmauld Place was safe enough, there’s so many charms on it.”  
Sirius answered his question, “it was Harry, but with Death Eaters invading the Ministry they can see my will and the house deeds and they will be able to deduce the likely place for our headquarters. Soon, with Ministry power at their disposal, they will be able to enter. That’s why Dumbledore has chosen new headquarters not registered in muggle or magical records and in a rural location. “

Harry nodded, accepting the reasons, but he still looked worried, as did Hermione, Ron, Fred and George. The unspoken question was in all their heads, “what about Ginny?”  
Dumbledore could see their concern and began the long explanation of Ginny’s safe house and guards. When he had finished they seemed more reassured about her safety, however, the girl in question wasn’t so pleased about the arrangements.  
“You can’t expect me to sit in almost complete solitude for months while you all attempt to destroy Voldemort. It could take you more than months, years even. Anyway, I know plenty of spells and magic, I can fight.”  
Dumbledore looked grave, “Miss Weasley, we all know you are an accomplished and capable witch, but you are probably the most sought after person for Voldemort at the current time and he cannot be given any chance, no matter how small, to capture you.”  
Seeing her daughter continue to look rebellious, Mrs Weasley spoke calmly, though with a worried quiver in her voice. “Ginny dear, we love you too much, we couldn’t bare for you to end up in that monster’s clutches. We’ll all miss you terribly, but this is the right thing to do and I know you’ll be brave and understand.”  
With her mother’s words, the entire room saw the majority of the rebellion leave Ginny’s eyes and she nodded quietly in agreement.  
Dumbledore nodded, “then it is settled. Now, I think it’s best if everyone gets some sleep.” Turning to Ginny he added, “I shall see you for your lesson tomorrow Miss Weasley.”  
Ginny nodded and headed out the door and upstairs to her room, the meeting had exhausted her. Changing quickly into a nightgown she only took the time to down her dreamless sleep potion before collapsing in bed. She was asleep before her head even touched the pillow.


	6. Preparing To Depart

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The next few weeks were a flurry of activity as anything useful or precious was removed from the Noble House of Black and into the new headquarters. Ginny, of course, had not been allowed out to see it, but some of the other Order members had described it and it sounded very beautiful, it was just a shame she might never see it. 

She noted how happy Sirius seemed, after all Harry was now permanently in residence and the chance to get to know his godson even more was an exciting prospect for him. He and Remus would tell them all stories of the Marauders and Harry’s mother Lily. Sirius loved having people around, Harry, Ron and Hermione, whom he had grown close to since they rescued him in their third year, especially. She also knew Sirius was pleased to finally be escaping the childhood home he hated so much and she was glad for him.

The rest of the young Order would begin training when they moved into the new headquarters, but Ginny was now undergoing an intense, short few weeks of training. She worked with Dumbledore twice a week as normal, but also had fighting and duelling sessions with Moody, Tonks, Kingsley, Remus and Sirius. Her oldest brothers, Bill and Charlie, helped sometimes, but not too often as she was their little sister and they were therefore reluctant to attack her.

Ginny also had to pack, when everyone had realised that she would be staying a while in Grimmauld Place the entire contents of her room minus furniture at the Burrow had been shrunk and brought to Grimmauld Place. Now she had to repack anything she wanted to take with her. Hermione had shown her a clever Undetectable Extension Charm which allowed her to place everything into one small trunk.

She had packed most of her clothes, leaving some for the next few days. Her collection of school books and fiction had been put in, along with photos of her family and friends. All her trinkets and treasures were now packed and she was lamenting the fact that she couldn’t take Arnold the Pygmy Puff with her, though Hermione had promised to take good care of him.

She was currently staring morosely at one of her photos, which had been taken a few days before they had received the news from Snape of Voldemort’s interest in her. It had been taken in the kitchen, her mother fussing over dinner and her husband while the twins plotted in a corner with Ron. Harry was talking quietly with Sirius, Hermione discussing werewolf rights with Remus and Bill and Charlie were comparing missions. Mad Eye and Kingsley were talking in whispers and she was sitting at the table giggling uncontrollably as Tonks changed her face to that of a female pig.

Ginny sighed and a tear fell, she had been so happy then, they all had. But it had gone so wrong in just a couple of days. She heard the door open and quickly wiped her damp eyes before turning to see Harry in the doorway.  
He didn’t say a word but sat down on the bed next to her, placing an arm round her shoulder and peeking at the picture in her hands. A smile spread over his face and he turned to her, “don’t worry Ginny, this will all be over soon, just a nightmare. Then we’ll all be like this again.”  
She gave him a small smile, “I hope so Harry.”  
He kissed her on the cheek and slipped back out of the room. She loved him still and she knew he loved her too. But they both stuck by the decision to separate until Voldemort was defeated, however difficult it might be for them. With both of them on the top of Voldemort’s list for capture, the knowledge of their link could be dangerous.

She slammed the lid of her trunk shut and charmed it so it only opened to her password. Then she looked around the bedroom she had used so often during the holidays in the past two years. Though the house was old, creepy and occasionally prone to trying to kill you, she would miss it, a reminder of when everyone was together.  
Just three more days and she would be off. Dumbledore was giving her the last lesson in two days and she had her last defence lesson with Tonks, Sirius and Remus later on. She lay back on her bed and, making sure no one was around, began to sob, for what was going to change and the lives that would be lost.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Voldemort smirked, he knew the Order would attempt to move Ginevra soon, he just wasn’t sure exactly when. His spies had found the area that contained her intended safe house, but of course couldn’t find the actual house. He knew once she resided there it would be near impossible to reach her, but he also knew she would have to be in the open at some point to enter.

He had posted some Death Eaters there ready, he knew it would not be long before he finally had Ginevra. His smirk widened at the thought and he went back to the maps and plans before him.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ginny had just finished her last defence lesson, which had gone pretty well. By the time she’d finally been disarmed she had managed to trip Tonks over an invisible rope and knock her unconscious. Sirius was fighting off fearsome Bat Bogeys and Remus had a number of gashes all over his body from a light, less-potent version of Sectumsempra. 

They’d all congratulated her on her hard work and she had been in a pretty good more, despite the looming separation from friends and family. That is, until the Order meeting on the morning of her departure, they would be leaving at night for better cover, but had anticipated that Snape would be able to tell them how many death eaters would be waiting.

The problem was that Snape hadn’t been told. He explained to them that since Voldemort knew he would be around Dumbledore he was afraid that the great wizard would pick the information out of his mind, of course not knowing that Snape would have given it willingly. 

But the problem remained, they did not know whether there would be few or many Death Eaters and in the end they had to choose to remain with the original plan. This did not really help the collective mood of the Order, but they all tried to put on brave faces, especially in front of Ginny. She in turn felt a bit insulted that they didn’t think she knew what was going on and that she could take care of herself.

The rest of the day was pretty tense and filled with last minute preparation. Most of the furniture had been sent to the new headquarters, along with most of the luggage. Most people, apart from Ginny, only had a small backpack with what they needed for the day.

At 7.30 pm the entire Order gathered in the library of Grimmauld Place to find out the guard arrangements. Dumbledore addressed them all, “I will announce the guards soon and then speak with each separately to tell them whether they will be one of the two permanently staying with Miss Weasley. The rest of the Order and myself will leave just before Miss Weasley and her guards depart and make our way to the new headquarters to wait for the guards not remaining with Miss Weasley to come and be debriefed. Is that understood by all?”  
They all nodded and Ginny waited impatiently to see who her guards would be.  
“Good, good,” Dumbledore pronounced in a falsely cheery voice, “well out seven guards shall be Alastor Moody, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black, Nymphadora Tonks, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones.” 

The seven in question nodded their consent to Dumbledore and Ginny noted that they seemed confident, Sirius looked almost excited. She supposed he was grateful to be able to do something and not be stuck in the house any more.

Ginny was pleased with the choice of guard, she knew all were strong fighters and some were Aurors. Moody was always a good man to have on side and she was glad to have the familiar faces of Tonks, Sirius, Remus and Kingsley by her side. Now all she could do was hope they’d all manage to get to the safe house unscathed.


	7. Ambush

Before she knew it everyone else was leaving. Her whole family, as well as Harry and Hermione, had engulfed her in hugs and she was trying to reassure herself that she would see them again soon. After a quick good luck from Dumbledore he too left them alone.  
They told her that they would be apparating to just outside their safe house since the wards wouldn’t allow direct apparition. They would then split up, with the two assigned as permanent guards taking her into the house and the rest going to report to the Order once they were sure it was safe.  
Tonks held out her arm and Ginny gripped it tightly. The next moment she was gaining her first experience of side-along apparition and it was not a pleasant feeling. They all appeared simultaneously and looked around the area, which appeared to be clear.

They proceeded cautiously until they almost reached the safe house. Seemingly in the clear Moody spoke, “we better find out who the two permanent guards are.”   
He looked questioningly at the group and Tonks spoke up, “I’m one of them.”   
Ginny was relieved, Tonks was a powerful witch, but also lots of fun to be around. Kingsley then confirmed he was the second guard, which also made her feel better, knowing he was an exceptional wizard.  
Moody nodded in approval, “right them. The rest of us should probably get back to …”   
But he was suddenly cut off by Remus’ low growl. “There are others here, I can smell them.”   
Almost as soon as the words left his mouth there were dozens of pops and Death Eaters clad in masks began to arrive in the clearing.

The guards formed a circle around her, wands drawn, but there were about twenty-five Death Eaters - they were surrounded. Everyone’s reactions were immediate,   
Kingsley whispered hurriedly to Ginny, “get your mind shield up now and no matter what happens make sure you can concentrate. Even if they take us all out keep the shield up and others will come to help you.”  
She nodded, though petrified with fear, and started the spells for her shield, pleased when a blue glow surrounded her, signalling that it was working.   
At the same time she could clearly hear Lucius Malfoy’s voice ringing out, “remember what the Dark Lord said, the girl is not to be harmed, take her as soon as possible. As for the rest of the filth we have here, kill as many as possible.”  
These words filled Ginny with dread, but she remained concentrating on her shield. Just as the walls came fully up the fighting broke out. Watching the Order and the Death Eaters duel was a frightening experience, but she tried to focus only on the shield and not any causalities.  
She saw an unknown Order member on the floor before it began. It being the assault on her mind. With her mind occupied on the shield, her Occlumency was non-existent and Voldemort was now invading her unprotected mind. The pressure was mounting and she struggled to hold her shields.  
She cried out and both Order members and death eaters heard it. The last thing she saw before she blacked out from the pain was both Order guards and masked Death Eaters racing to get to her - she could only hope the Order would reach her first.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Order had been expecting some Death Eaters, but half a dozen at most. When twenty-ficw turned up they knew things were going to be bad. They began duelling almost straight away and only had a few seconds to check that Ginny was ok. Thankfully she had got her shield up pretty quickly and they could concentrate on fighting.  
They managed to hit a few of the Death Eaters before the first disaster - Hestia got hit by the killing curse. This distracted both Sirius and Remus, who had been in the same year as Hestia in Hogwarts, but there was no time to mourn, only to duck and avoid the barrage of curses.  
The battle raged on for a few minutes more before both groups were distracted by an agonised scream - Ginny was holding her head in pain and her shield appeared to be fading.   
The Order knew one of them would have to get her and apparate out of there quickly, but as both Tonks and Sirius raced towards her they saw that two unknown Death Eaters, as well as one with platinum blond hair they recognised as Lucius Malfoy, were also running towards the young girl. The question was who would reach her first?

Sirius was quicker than Tonks and made to grab Ginny, only to be pushed out of the way by a death eater. Everything seemed to go still and quiet as Lucius Malfoy grabbed Ginny’s unconscious form and apparated away with a triumphant smirk.   
Just as quickly as the silence had begun, it ended with the restarting of the battle. Dedalus Diggle fell by Dolohov’s wand, but was struck down by an angered Remus, his eyes flashing amber for a moment.   
Moody cried out to them all, “she’s gone, grab the bodies and get away.”   
With that Sirius grabbed Dedalus and Remus picked up Hestia, then the Order soldiers apparated away.  
Once the Death Eaters realised there was no one left and that their target had been secured they too apparated away, back to their headquarters and Voldemort.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, the rest of the Order were waiting anxiously for news in their new headquarters. The guards were a little late and while Dumbledore insisted that this didn’t mean anything, many of them, especially the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione, were getting rather edgy.  
Silence reigned since no one really knew what to say to anyone. When they heard the door everyone was on edge and they knew something had gone wrong as soon as Mad-Eye Moody came through the door.   
Dumbledore observed him and the ever present twinkle in his eyes disappeared as he spoke sharply, “what happened Alastor?”  
Moody just shook his head and motioned behind him. Kingsley and Tonks trudged in with dejected looks on their faces and followed by Sirius and Remus, who were both carrying a body each. Mrs Weasley gave a cry and her hand flew to her mouth. Professor McGonagall and Dumbledore exchanged pained looks and everyone noticed Ginny was not present.

Mrs Weasley spoke quietly, “where is my daughter, where’s Ginny?”   
Sirius looked at her with a mournful expression, “I’m so sorry Molly, there was nothing we could do, they took her.”   
Mrs Weasley burst into tears and her family gathered round trying to comfort her while Hermione sobbed on Ron’s shoulder and Harry looked close to tears.

Dumbledore turned to Moody, “could you please explain the full story Alastor.”   
Moody nodded and began speaking gruffly, “well we had arrived just by the safe house and everything seemed to be going by the book until Lupin sensed something. We were ambushed by twenty-five Death Eaters led by Lucius Malfoy.”   
He broke off there as gasps filled the room and after a few moments he cleared his throat and continued. “We had no chance to leave and had to fight, Shacklebolt told the girl to put up her shield and she did. We started fighting and we were doing ok, the girl was safe and we’d managed to hit a few of the scum, but then it all went wrong. Hestia got hit and then we all heard the girl scream. I thought it was some sort of reaction to Hestia’s death, but she was clutching her head like she was in pain and the shield was fading.”  
He broke off to clear his throat and then carried on, “she collapsed after a few minutes and the shield dropped completely. Black and Nymphadora were closest and they tried to get to her, Black almost had her, but one of the bastards came out of nowhere and tackled him. Malfoy grabbed the girl and disapparated just as Dolohov got Dedalus, though Remus paid him back in kind. We knew we had to get out of there so we grabbed the bodies and left. We weren’t followed.”

Arthur spoke up for the first time once Moody stopped speaking, “but Dumbledore, you said that the shield would hold against anything but Avada Kedavra.”   
Dumbledore nodded sadly, “it does. But there must be intense concentration. I practiced with Miss Weasley and her focus was excellent. Alastor said she seemed to be clutching her head in pain and there lies the answer, while focusing on her shield Ginny can’t keep up her Occlumency shields. I had thought Voldemort would take them for granted and not try to enter her mind, but it appears he did. With no shields, Voldemort could attack her mind and cause her to lose focus. This brought down her shields and was what caused her to fall unconscious.”  
They all shook their heads and sighed at this development. Molly had finally stopped crying enough to speak, “what will we do now Albus? I want my Ginny back and away from that monster, he’s caused enough damage.”   
Dumbledore looked grim, “we will first gather information, find out where Ginny is being held and the security there. Then we will go from there. But first,” he gestured to the two bodies, “I am afraid we have two funerals to arrange.” 

They nodded and began their separate preparation tasks while Snape dealt with the bodies and hoped he would be called to Voldemort soon to gather more information. The atmosphere was dim, everyone in the room feeling the loss of Ginny and her bubbly personality.


	8. Trapped In A Living Nightmare

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Lucius was delighted when he grabbed the red head brat before Black did and he apparated away almost immediately, after giving directions to Nott to have the girl’s trunk, which was a little way from where she had been standing, brought to the Manor.  
He apparated directly outside his master’s chambers and knocked, entering when instructed with the unconscious girl in his arms, a rather smug look on his aristocratic face. When his master saw what was in his arms his eyes lit up and he smirked widely. His master gestured to the bed and he placed her there.  
He bowed and Voldemort motioned for him to stand, “you have done very well Lucius and shall be greatly rewarded, along with your comrades. Now tell me the damage,” he added with a glint in his eyes.  
Lucius was ecstatic - now he would have his Lord’s favour - “well my Lord, we lost around six or seven members, including Dolohov, but the final number has yet to be counted. There were seven of that Order scum guarding the girl and we managed to take out two of them, I believe they are one Hestia Jones and a Dedalus Diggle. Not high ranking members I’m afraid, but members none the less.”  
Voldemort nodded, “good, good. Now leave my presence, your reward will be discussed at our next meeting.”  
Lucius nodded, bowed and left; he might be in favour, but he did not want to get on the Dark Lord’s bad side, his good side was bad enough. Still, he wondered what on earth his master would want with the poor blood traitor girl, but he supposed he would find out soon enough.  
As Lucius left the room Voldemort sat down on the bed next to Ginny’s unconscious form and placed a pale hand on her cheek. “My little Ginevra, we’ll be together now, no one can stop it.”  
He swept his hand across her cheek before standing and going over to his chair with a book in hand. He settled down and began to read, his eyes half on the book and half on the sleeping girl on his bed.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ginny awoke feeling groggy and with a bit of a headache. She remembered them all being ambushed and Kingsley telling her to get her shield up. She was ok, but then she felt Him in her head, Tom, and she lost her concentration. He was making her head hurt so much and she’d fallen unconscious, but not before realising that Hestia was dead.  
Though she didn’t know the witch too well, she knew the woman was kind and generous, her death was saddening. Ginny hoped there had been no one else on their side killed.  
She didn’t know where she was and it was still blurry so she sat up and rubbed her eyes, then gasped. She was in a grand four poster bed with green silk sheets and sitting in a huge armchair by the fire, book in hand, was Tom Riddle.

He heard her gasp and put his book down, turning to her with a predatory smirk on his handsome face. She blinked, hoping and praying that it was all and nightmare, that she was safe with the Order. But she couldn’t open her eyes and she realised the truth, this was one nightmare she couldn’t wake up from.  
The realisation led her to begin sobbing quite profusely and she didn’t notice Tom until he was sat on the bed next to her. She flinched as he touched her face, but took the handkerchief he offered her and blew her nose.  
He gave her another smirk, “hello Ginevra, what a pleasure to see you again.”  
She threw him a look of deepest loathing, “yeah, pleasure to see the man who tried to kill me by feeding on my soul and who has now kidnapped me and taken me away from all my friends and family.”  
“Ah Ginevra, witty as always,” he said with a smile.  
She gave him a sardonic smile, “charming as always Tom. So when can I leave, as much as I’m enjoying this conversation I have other places I’d much rather be.”  
Tom merely gave her a serene smile, “oh Ginevra, so naïve, you aren’t going anywhere. You will stay with me and once I defeat that infernal Potter I will rule the wizarding world and you will be my queen.”

Ginny looked at him like he was insane, “you’re barking, I am not staying here to be your bloody queen and Harry will defeat you.”  
Tom’s look went cold in an instant and for a split second she was truly afraid, “like it or not Ginevra, Harry Potter will fall and you will be my queen.”  
He stood up abruptly, “I’ll leave you to get settled into your new home then, I shall send someone to fetch you for breakfast tomorrow. Goodnight darling.”  
He leant forward to kiss her cheek and she froze as his cold lips touched her skin, before wrenching back. Tom gave her a final smirk before disappearing out the door and she fell back on to her pillow, before bursting into fresh tears. She missed her family and friends and was now faced with the prospect of being stuck in her own personal hell forever.

After lying there sobbing for a good half hour she decided it wasn’t too productive to sit there so she went to explore her room, hoping to maybe find a way out, though she wasn’t hopeful.  
Her room was large, obviously decorated in Slytherin colours and complete with four poster bed, armchairs, bookshelves and desk. There was an ensuite bathroom with both a shower and a huge sunken tub. Her trunk was placed inconspicuously in the corner of the room and she noted that her clothes had been moved into her closet room.  
The closet room was huge, a ridiculous size for just clothes, filled with daytime clothes, as well as a huge assortment of fancy and impossibly expensive dresses. She didn’t want to know how he had got her clothes sizes, especially since there was underwear too.  
While her room was beautiful and more luxurious than she had ever experienced, it didn’t have the feel of home and she would take her small, cosy room at the Burrow any day.  
Deciding that it wouldn’t be a good idea to face Tom completely exhausted, she concluded it would be best to turn in for the night. She found a long silky cream nightgown, one of the few not in Slytherin colours or hopelessly risqué, and curled up in bed, fast asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.


	9. Exploring The Manor

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Ginny awoke to the sun streaming through her window and sat up, yawning widely, her smile at the lovely weather quickly vanishing as she remembered what had happened to her the previous day.  
Sighing, she checked her watch to find it was 9 in the morning. She realised that Tom would probably call her for breakfast soon and decided that she better get dressed as she didn’t really want him seeing her in a nightie.  
She hauled herself to the bathroom and after a quick shower, washing away the tears that had started falling again at her situation, she managed to hold in her tears and get rid of her red eyes. She was shocked to find her wand by her bedside table and used it to perform a drying charm on her hair, leaving it wavy and loose, before making her way over to her closet room.  
She picked out a pair of dark blue jeans and used a colour change spell on a green and silver striped top to turn it red and gold, just to piss Tom off she thought with satisfaction. Slipping on a pair of red ballet flats she made her way to the armchair and sat to await Tom’s inevitable arrival.

She didn’t have long to wait as he arrived barely ten minutes later, not bothering to knock of course. He gave her the once over and raised his eyebrows at her t-shirt, “Gryffindor colours Ginevra, I’m sure we’ll cure you of that soon.”   
She gave him a sweet smile, “you can try Tom, but I’m loyal to my friends, unlike some.”  
He merely shook his head and pulled her up, linking his arm with hers and leading her out the door and down the hall. A few flights of stairs later and they reached a small, yet elegant, dining room, thankfully free of any other Death Eaters.   
Tom took a seat and motioned for her to sit opposite. Though she was tempted to sit as far away as possible from him, she sensed that it would be a bad idea and so took the offered seat.  
A huge selection of breakfast foods arrived and since she hadn’t eaten since lunch the previous day she was rather hungry. While she ate her way through bacon, eggs, sausage, toast, croissants, yoghurt, a muffin and two cups of hot chocolate Tom explained the ‘rules’ to her.

She was allowed anywhere in the mansion that was situated on the floor she was staying on or the floors below. She guessed this meant that Death Eater activities happened on the floors above and that the cells must be magically concealed. She was allowed on the grounds, but only when he was with her. This comment had her thinking she would probably try to avoid going outside.  
He also told her that any attempt at escape would result in punishment and from the tine of voice he used, she knew that this punishment wouldn’t be good.  
She questioned him about being allowed her wand and he smirked widely, “ah, very good, I had hoped you would notice that Ginevra. Your wand will perform all spells for you, except any very dangerous ones. It will also not work against myself, couldn’t have you trying to hurt me could we now. Also, any escape attempts are futile since the manor is incredibly well protected, including guards and anti-apparation wards. So just don’t try it darling.”  
Ginny glared at him, he appeared to have thought of everything. “So, you’ve set out the rules and all, can I go now?”   
He smirked, “why Ginevra, anyone would think you didn’t want to be here.” She rolled her eyes, “yeah, I’m just dying to stay in a room with the insane psychopathic murderer who kidnapped me and is trying to kill my friends and family.”  
His eyes went cold and he waved his hand, “you may go if you wish, but remember Ginevra, I’ll be watching you.”

She could feel his eyes on her as she left the room as quickly as humanely possible. She didn’t feel like going back to her room so she decided to explore the manor. She just hoped that she wouldn’t meet any death eaters along the way.   
She knew she was on the ground floor and a quick look round found a larger dining room, games room, bathrooms, entrance hall and two lounges. She also caught a glimpse of the house elves working in the kitchens. Nothing there really interested her so she decided to go looking for a library. Her room had books, but the collection wasn’t too large and she wanted more choice.  
While not a complete bookworm like Hermione or Remus, she was always appreciative of good literature. The thoughts of her friends made her a little sad, she hoped she’d be able to see them again soon.  
She wandered round the first floor, but found only what appeared to be empty guest bedrooms and a study. She went up another flight of stairs and after a bit of searching she found the room she was looking for. She was just about to enter when she found her way blocked by a tall figure in imposing black robes.

She looked up to find Lucius Malfoy in front of her, with Bellatrix Lestrange just behind him, a feral look upon her face. She gulped, these were two of the most feared Death Eaters and she was stuck with them both - alone. Just fantastic.  
Lucius regarded her with distaste, “what is a blood-traitor brat like you doing here?”   
Ginny rolled her eyes, “you know, I don’t want to be here anymore than you want me here. I didn’t ask to be kidnapped by Lord bloody Voldemort. If you want to know then ask him.”  
Bellatrix hissed at her words, “you dare to speak the Dark Lord’s name, you filthy blood-traitor.”   
She stepped forward menacingly with her wand out and just when Ginny was sure she was about to get cursed, the wand flew out of its owner’s hand and into pale fingers, which twirled it round elegantly.  
She swivelled round to see Tom standing there, a cool look on his face. “Bella, Lucius, play nicely now, this is not how you treat guests.”   
Lucius tried to look collected at the thought of a Weasley being a guest in his house, but Bellatrix looked both horrified and angered at the idea.  
“But my Lord, the brat is …”   
She was cut off by a sharp look from Tom, “do not question me Bellatrix. You will not touch Ginevra here and you will inform the others not to either. If I find any of you have so much as touched her, and I will know, then the consequences will be severe.”  
He turned to go, but at the last minute he twirled round and flicked his wand at Bellatrix, causing her to fall to the floor and writhe in agony. For the minute he did this Ginny was horrified at the brutality, though she couldn’t help but be pleased at Bellatrix getting her comeuppance. 

When he finally stopped he dismissed them with a wave of his hand and they both bowed low before disappearing with a pop, although Bellatrix shot Ginny a very dark look before she left.  
With his two Death Eaters gone, Tom turned his attention to her, “I apologise for that Ginevra. My Death Eaters sometimes have moments of incredible stupidity, even those most intelligent and loyal to me. If any of them bother you again then you are to tell me immediately.”   
She nodded, still a little shocked by her encounter.  
He inclined his head, “I have business to attend to, I shall leave you to your books and see you for dinner this evening.”   
Another nod from her and he was gone.  
She shuddered at the thought of the business he had to attend to. She hoped he wouldn’t expect her to dress up for dinner, but had a feeling that it would be mandatory. Groaning internally at the thought she stepped into the library.

She spent a few hours there, reading up on defence and attack. She had decided that she would train herself as she would have been trained in the Order. After all, this was war and if there was going to be a battle she wanted to be prepared, especially if she may end up having to fight to escape Tom.  
She hadn’t practiced any of the spells she had found yet since she wanted to know more about them first. Many of the tomes in the manor library were dark and no matter happened she would never use dark magic. She had to be sure that the spells were light spells or in a grey area.  
At 4.30 in the afternoon she headed back up to her room, thankfully avoiding any Death Eater confrontations and waiting for Tom’s instructions regarding dinner. Half an hour later a house elf popped in informing her that dinner was to be at six and that she should wear one of the dresses in her closet. She supposed it had been too much to hope for to just be allowed to wear jeans and a t-shirt.  
She sighed audibly, she really wasn’t looking forward to this dinner.


	10. Dinner With Tom

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Ginny headed over to the bathroom for a quick shower and then padded over to her closet, wrapped in a fluffy white towel, thankfully one of the few items in the room not green or silver. Her eyes passed longingly over the jeans and t-shirts, contrary to popular opinion Ginny wasn’t much of a girly girl - growing up with six brothers did that.  
She got to the dress rack and surveyed them in an attempt to find something that wasn’t overly formal and with a price tag bigger than her home’s. She finally settled on an icy blue silk dress, full length but relatively plain and without decoration. Thankfully it was much simpler than some of the ball gowns she had discovered on the rail.  
She slid the dress over her head, the cool silk gliding easily over her skin, and admired the effect in her mirror, the dress flattered her figure enormously.   
She decided on only a little jewellery; a silver bracelet her mother had given her and a silver necklace with a phoenix symbol, a present from Professor Dumbledore before she had left. She did consider wearing the ring Harry had given her, with their initials intertwined; it was one of her favourites. But she knew if Tom noticed it, as doubtless he would, then he would probably destroy it.  
She pulled her hair up into a simple bun, leaving a few curls to frame her face and the only make-up she applied was a shimmery blue eye shadow, mascara and some lip-gloss. She slipped on some strappy silver heels, although she had needed to shrink the heels a bit. Then she took a deep breath, trying to ready herself for the night ahead. 

She spun around when she heard the telltale crack of apparition and came face to face with the same house elf who had earlier informed her of dinner. “Master Riddle is telling Mimsy to fetch young Miss for dinner. Miss is to follow me.”  
Ginny nodded and proceeded to follow after the elf, who led her to the door of the grand dining room she had seen earlier. With an expression of apprehension she pushed open the ornate door and entered the room, once again relieved to see no death eaters present.  
Tom was seated at the head of the huge table and there was a place set for her to his right. She gave a little wry smile at the thought of only two eating at a table that could easily fit twenty. The decadence of these people knew no bounds.  
Tom stood as she neared her place and grasped her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing it gently, “you look exquisite as always Ginevra.”   
She couldn’t help the blush that flooded her cheeks at his words, but soon remembered it was Tom Riddle aka Voldemort saying these things to her and her cheeks cooled.  
He pulled out her chair and let her sit down first before returning to his own seat - well at least he had some manners, though they seemed a bit redundant in face of the fact that he was a cold hearted murderer. 

Once she was seated the first course of the meal, vegetable soup, arrived and the two began to eat in silence. Once they were done with their soup, the bowls vanished to be replaced with grilled salmon, vegetables and new potatoes.  
Tom offered her some wine, but she declined and stuck with water. She didn’t want to become light headed around him, knowing he would take full advantage of the situation.  
They had just started on dessert, a delicious slice of strawberry cheesecake, when Tom finally said something to her.   
“So, did you enjoy your visit to the library Ginevra?”   
She nodded, “erm, yes Tom, the collection is rather magnificent.

She concentrated on shielding her thoughts, but hoped that he wouldn’t try Legilimancy on her since he would know she was blocking him. She didn’t fancy trying to create an explanation for blocking him that didn’t include her plans of training and eventual escape. He merely nodded at her words, though she sensed that he could tell she wasn’t being entirely truthful.  
The rest of the meal passed in relatively awkward silence and when they were finished eating Tom escorted her back up to her room. Another kiss on her cheek and he was gone.  
She entered her room and changed quickly into her nightgown. Climbing into bed she again contemplated her captivity and how much she missed everyone in the Order. With a sigh she fell asleep dreaming of being reunited with her beloved family.


	11. Escape Attempt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ginny tries to escape - this won't end well ...

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The next few days followed in a similar pattern, she would wake and then go to eat breakfast with Tom before going off to the library. While there she would study spells, but also plan, for she was formulating a way to escape her luxurious prison.  
She had noticed the kitchens and knew that since they were the dwelling of the house elves few if any of the proud and haughty dark wizards in Malfoy Manor would set foot there. She planned to go through them at night so that the loyal house elves wouldn’t alert their master.  
After a good few hours in the library she called a haven she would return to her room to dress for dinner with Tom. She always had to dress formally and spent the evenings in an assortment of fancy dresses and uncomfortable shoes.  
Tom would discuss literature and magic with her, as well as his plans for both wizarding and muggle Britain once he had overthrown Harry. She protested at first, insisting that Harry would not be beaten by Him. But he always gave her a condescending smirk or a cruel, cold smile, so eventually she just remained silent.  
She knew that he had no idea of the details of her escape plan, her use of Occlumency was working so far and she thought he probably wouldn’t expect her to try to escape. After all, she knew that if she failed and was caught then the consequences would be severe.

Five days after she had arrived at Malfoy Manor she was ready to attempt her daring escape. At 2 am she was woken by the ringing of her alarm and she hauled herself out of bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She splashed her face with cold water at the sink in her bathroom in order to wake herself up. Then she dressed in a pair of black jeans, a black top and trainers - it was useful to be able to blend into the dark.   
She pulled her flaming red hair into a bun, lamenting the fact that it was easily spotted, even in the dark and then she went over to her trunk. She had taken her things from there and packed them into a small bag using shrinking spells and an undetectable extension charm. Checking she had everything she pulled out her wand and disillusioned herself as a safety precaution.  
She opened her door carefully after lifting the locking charm and peeked her head out to check for any problems. Upon seeing no one there she proceeded out, remaining as quiet as possible, holding her breath as if she expected to be caught any minute - which she did.

By some miracle she managed to make it to the kitchens undetected, though there was a little scare when she’d needed to hide in the shadows to avoid a wandering Death Eater. She breathed a sigh of relief when she arrived there. She made her way through the kitchens, feeling rather exposed walking tall above the elf sized benches and equipment, trying desperately to ignore the sinking feeling of worry in her stomach and the slight echoes from her footsteps.  
As she had expected there was a small door at the back of the kitchens that led out to the grounds. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, having been created for house elves, and Ginny was thankful that she was both slim and rather short.  
Once she got outside she stood for a moment to savour the feeling of fresh air around her, the first time she’d felt it since she was captured. Looking around her she saw a few death eaters dotted at various posts, but none close enough to her to notice her presence.  
Still, she was thankful for the disillusionment charm and the safety it gave her. Squinting around in the inky darkness, she searched for an exit not guarded by death eaters, finding one after a minute of searching. It was a small wooden door in the hedge, reminding her of the back gate of her garden. She headed towards it, wincing at the noise she made crunching through leaves and grass.  
But the Death Eaters thankfully remained at their posts, obviously unaware of the young girl sneaking through the grounds. She finally reached the door after what seemed a lifetime of tentative steps. She couldn’t help but give a little grin, she was so close to freedom that she could almost taste it.

Grasping the handle with a shaking hand, she pulled the wooden door open, bracing herself for some sort of alarm and guards coming running to take her back. But, to her great surprise, there was none of this - perhaps Tom had overestimated the security. She looked through the open door to see what looked like countryside and a sign saying that Wiltshire was two miles east.  
She stepped forward with anticipation and hope only to feel herself being sucked up and then she was spinning in a sensation not unlike a portkey. She could feel that she was now visible and she couldn’t make out anything but colours until she felt the spinning stop and she found herself dumped unceremoniously onto a plush green carpet.  
Fearing the worst she looked up with trepidation to see her worst fear confirmed - Tom Riddle was standing above her and looking down with a face like thunder.  
Her eyes widened and she gulped at his next words, “well, well Ginevra, what do we have here. Looks like someone tried to escape and needs to be punished.”  
Well crap, she was definitely screwed now.


	12. Punishment

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Fearing the worst she looked up with trepidation to see her worst fear confirmed - Tom Riddle was standing above her and looking down with a face like thunder.  
Her eyes widened and she gulped at his next words, “well, well Ginevra, what do we have here. Looks like someone tried to escape and needs to be punished.”  
Well crap, she was definitely screwed now.

She looked up at him, “erm, I was taking a walk.”   
He looked down at her with amused disbelief, “you can’t honestly expect that excuse to work Ginevra.”   
Guess not, she thought mournfully, well it had been worth a shot.  
His eyes were cold now, “I did inform you Ginevra, of the severe consequences that you would face if you tried to escape. Now I discover that you have attempted just that, you are an intelligent girl, but that was an incredibly stupid move.”

Ginny looked fearful, she didn’t want to think about what was going to happen to her now. Tom offered her his hand and she took it, knowing there was really no other option.   
He pulled her up off the ground rather forcibly, “follow me Ginevra, your punishment awaits I’m afraid.”  
She got even more panicked as he led her upstairs, where she was pretty sure the torture areas were kept. She knew he wouldn’t kill her, not with his twisted idea of her being some kind of soul mate, but that didn’t mean that he wouldn’t torture her for disobeying him. The thought made her feel rather ill, a feeling which only increased as he led her into a large circular room with chairs round the edge and a large space in the middle.  
She was surprised when he took her over to a group of seats and told her to sit on the one to the right of his elegant black throne. She darted her eyes nervously around the room, as if expecting some torture to be sprung upon her.  
It confused her as Tom summoned one of his Death Eaters and instructed him to bring “their latest” in, was that some sort of new torture instrument?

But she understood when she saw the Death Eater return, dragging a weak Dean Thomas with him - the latest prisoner.   
“Dean,” her voice came out in a sort of shriek from the shock of seeing him there and when he lifted his head at the sound of her voice she cringed at the cuts and bruises marring his face.   
She tried to stand up, to get to him, to help, but she felt her wrist being grabbed in a bruising grip by Tom, who pulled her back down to her seat with a cruel smile.  
“Ginny,” Dean seemed almost happy to see her, but not surprised and she wanted to know how he knew she was here.   
Her silent question was answered a moment later when he spoke in a hoarse voice, “I found out what happened the day before the bastards got me. I’ve been thinking of joining the Order and I saw Harry and Ron at a meeting, they told me about how they’d taken you.”  
She turned to Tom with horror and he smirked, “we found him trying to prevent some muggle torture.”   
Ginny’s face furrowed in anger, “let him go, he hasn’t done anything wrong.”   
But Tom’s smirk remained, “I’m afraid I can’t do that Ginevra, you see he is your punishment.”  
She felt cold, “you can’t do this. You can’t torture him because of me, it isn’t fair,” she was almost hysterical by now. Tom placed a restraining hand on her arm, “ah my dear Ginevra, you misunderstand me.”   
He pulled out his wand and before she could even blink he said only two words, “Avada Kedavra.”   
The green light shot from his wand, hitting Dean square on the chest and enveloping him in a green glow.

Ginny’s eyes widened as she saw the light leave her ex-boyfriend’s eyes and she didn’t look at Tom as he spoke his next words.   
“A short, sharp shock should suffice as your punishment I think. Try anything like your earlier escapade again and it won’t just be some ex-boyfriend.”  
Ginny was frozen, but those words brought her back to life and she began pounding his chest with her fists, crying and screaming at him, “you monster, how could you?”  
He caught her arms to prevent any further damage to his person before waving his wand. She felt a sudden surge and found herself back in her bedroom with Tom by her side. He kissed her tear stained cheek and she was too distraught by the death she had just witnessed to stop him. He then exited the room with parting words indicating he would see her for breakfast.

Ginny couldn’t even muster the energy to change into her nightgown herself, she merely waved her wand and it was done. She didn’t bother washing her face clean of the tears, there was just no point.  
As she huddled under the covers she thought of Dean’s dead eyes and the thud of his lifeless body hitting the floor in front of her. It was her fault, her stupid fault for trying to escape. She knew she’d never get Dean’s death off her conscience and she’d never forget his dying face.  
That night Ginny Weasley sobbed for three hours straight until exhaustion overtook her and she fell asleep, salty tears streaking her face.


	13. A Chance To Say Goodbye

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The Order was still rather depressed, though they were feeling a bit better since it was time for Snape’s report - his first since Ginny had been kidnapped days ago. Now they were all sitting in the library of their new headquarters, eagerly awaiting anything he may have to say on the subject of Ginny Weasley.  
Once Snape had finished his usual reports on Death Eater activity, Harry couldn’t help but interrupt him, “Snape, sorry Professor Snape, have you seen anything of Ginny at all?”  
Snape’s mouth turned to a sneer at Harry’s rudeness, “no, I’m afraid that I have yet to come into contact with Miss Weasley.”  
Most of the room was merely disappointed by his words, but some were angered by his response. “How can you not have seen her Snivellus, you’re a bloody Death Eater,” shouted Sirius.  
He looked like he was about to say something, probably even more insulting, but Remus put a restraining hand on his arm and Sirius fell silent.  
Snape’s onyx eyes flashed and he drawled his response as if it bored him, “well Black you should perhaps understand before you start making unfounded accusations as I know you planned to. I cannot merely walk up to her door and get invited in for tea and a chat. I am supposed to be her hated potions professor and so it would give my position as a spy away in a heartbeat.”

“Even if that wasn’t an issue,” he continued, “the Dark Lord is rather protective and possessive of Miss Weasley. She had a verbal confrontation with Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange just after she arrived, which was interrupted by the Dark Lord, He got the two to spread his warning by word of mouth - you touch her and die. I don’t even think she’s seen anyone but the Dark Lord since that confrontation. Death Eaters are afraid to go near her for fear of what He shall do to them, so they just steer well clear.”  
Molly Weasley began sobbing at the thought of her baby girl being at the mercy of Lucius and Bellatrix, however all were comforted by the thought that Death Eaters were keeping their distance from her.   
Ron looked a little confused, “couldn’t we just get Snape,” he broke off at Hermione’s glare, “sorry Professor Snape, to tell us where Ginny is being held. Then we can storm the place and rescue her.”

Snape rolled his eyes, but Dumbledore looked kindly at Ron, “a nice idea Mr Weasley, but we already know where they are - Malfoy Manor. However, Professor Snape’s dark mark and the oath he took as a Death Eater prevents him revealing where exactly the Manor is, all we know is that it is somewhere around Wiltshire. The Manor also has many enchantments and charms, it is also unplottable. At the current time we are, I’m afraid, unable to enter the Manor.”   
Everyone looked disappointed, but resigned as Dumbledore spoke again. “Now the final item on our agenda is of some importance. I received this letter today and have a suspicion that it is from Voldemort himself. I have of course had the letter checked and there are no curses,” he added when he saw the worried looks on many of the Order’s faces.  
“I am going to read the letter to you all now and I want you to know that as of yet I also have no idea what it contains. I ask that no one interrupts until I am finished.”   
The room nodded and went quiet, all leaning forward in anticipation. Dumbledore slit open the letter and cleared his throat before beginning:

 

**Dumbledore,**   
**I won’t insult your legendary intelligence by writing simpering pleasantries that I do not mean. You, no doubt, know that I have one Ginevra Weasley in my possession and are eager to return her to her blood traitor family. This I cannot allow.**   
**However, I do believe that Ginevra at least deserves the chance to say a proper goodbye to her family and friends, no matter how much I despise them. Therefore the two of us and no others shall be present in the far east clearing in the Forest of Dean tomorrow night at 7pm.**   
**You can bring your whole organisation if you wish to say a final goodbye since you will not see her again until I am triumphant and many of you shall not live to see that day. I know you assume that this is some sort of trap, but I can assure you it is not. Someone as clever as you will understand the enchantment I have placed on this piece of parchment - everything it says is true and if I digress from these terms that it is simple. I shall die.**   
**Obviously I would not like that so you will know I am, reluctantly, sincere. Consequently, I shall undoubtedly see you and your motley crew tomorrow at 7.**   
**A word of warning though, do not think of trying to trap me there, for there shall be measures to prevent such actions. I should also hate see what it would do to Ginevra if I had to hunt down and kill one of her precious family or friends for the simple reason that they tried to attack me.**   
**Remember, tomorrow night - Forest of Dean, far-east clearing - 7pm**   
**Lord Voldemort**

 

There was complete silence during the reading of the letter and also right after Dumbledore was finished reading it, everyone was trying to process the offer. Then everyone was speaking at once, trying to get their opinions heard over the crowd and Dumbledore had to resort to using a room wide silencing charm to quiet everyone.  
“I apologise for the use of silencio but I had no choice, we must make a decision on this issue now. This could be our only chance for a while to see Miss Weasley and she may be able to provide us with some information that could prove useful in defeating Voldemort. Now we shall have to vote, if you believe we should go to this meeting then please raise your hand now.”  
He smiled a little as almost the entire room raised their hands in favour of the meeting.   
“And those opposed,” the only member to raise their hand at this was Moody and given his paranoia most of the Order disregarded his worries.   
“Well it looks like we’ll all be going to the Forest of Dean tomorrow,” Dumbledore said with a small smile.  
He dismissed the meeting after this, though most lingered to talk about their excitement at being able to see Ginny again and the questions they would ask her.  
Snape caught Dumbledore just as he was about to leave, “for obvious reasons I cannot go with you all to this meeting since it would give my loyalties away. However, if you could mention quietly to Miss Weasley to perhaps bring up a wish to continue studying potions with the Dark Lord. She was the best in her class and I’m sure she’s a capable enough liar to say it was her favourite subject, teacher notwithstanding,” he said with a wry smile.  
Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully, “excellent idea Severus, Tom will probably grant her that small request and you are the only Death Eater with a Mastery in potions so he would have no other choice but to send her to you. We could send messages back and forth through you, I’m sure it would be a great comfort to the Weasleys.”   
Snape nodded and with a quick good bye he vanished in a swirl of black robes.

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The days following her ‘punishment’ were terrible for Ginny. She was confined to her room, the second part of her punishment, only allowed out to eat breakfast and dinner with Him. She really wished he’d make her eat on her own as a punishment, but she had a suspicion that he knew how much it pained her to be forced into his company. She lamented how much he knew about her and her only consolation was his annoyed expression as she sat in stony silence while they ate and refused to answer any of his questions.  
She spent most of her days reading the few books she had left in her room in an attempt to forget where she was being held, who was holding her and the murder she had seen committed right in front of her eyes.  
Of course, once she’d read all these books she was left with nothing to do but think. She hated herself for it being partly her fault that Dean had been killed. She couldn’t close her eyes without seeing his face and she wondered just how heartless the dark side had to be to not constantly see images of those they killed.  
She spent the time she wasn’t hating herself muttering curses at herself for being so incredibly stupid and picking up that fucking diary in the first place - that was the cause of all her problems.

A few days had passed since Dean’s death and it was 6 in the evening. Ginny and Tom had just finished another silent meal when he spoke, “you may not grace me with an answer Ginevra, but you need to know that we are going somewhere tonight and will be leaving at 6.50. Please be ready to leave and I shall fetch you from your room then.”  
She merely nodded her head and stood up from the table when he did, steadfastly ignoring the customary kiss on the cheek and heading back up to her room as quickly as possible.  
She went to her closet room to try and decide what to wear, but she didn’t even know what they would be doing and she wasn’t about to go find Tom to ask. They couldn’t be eating out since they’d just had dinner. Well whatever it was she wasn’t going to wear anything formal because Tom hadn’t specified it and fancy dresses just weren’t comfy.  
She instead decided on blue jeans, a white gypsy top and a pair of white converse. She magically straightened her hair, but didn’t bother with any makeup - she was probably going to end up crying later that night from nightmares of the terrible things she’d seen and she really didn’t fancy looking like a panda due to running mascara.  
When she was finally done getting ready it was only half past six. She didn’t want to spend 20 minutes thinking about her captivity since that line of thought was liable to make her depressed, so she decided to re-read one of the books in her room.

Tom arrived right on time and took her arm almost immediately before apparating them both away, she didn’t even have time to ask where they were going. She wondered briefly about how it was possible for him to just apparate in and out of Malfoy Manor before remembering that he was Lord Voldemort and probably created the wards himself.  
They arrived in a forest and Ginny was very confused, she couldn’t think of any reason they would be there. For one terrible moment she considered the possibility that he’d brought her along to meet with werewolves, but she knew that despite his evil, he’d never put her in that kind of danger.

“Where are we?” she asked as she watched him wave his wand around the clearing in complicated motions she recognised as shield casting. “We are in the far east clearing of the Forest of Dean for a meeting at 7. The name is nicely symbolic isn’t it,” he added with a smirk.   
She felt her anger with him grow, knowing he was referring to her now dead ex-boyfriend.  
They waited in silence, Ginny watching for whoever would come at 7 and Tom casting non-verbal spells to build the shield in front of them up. She wondered why he would need protection, or maybe it was her who needed it.  
When 7 o clock came she moved forward, eager to see who they were meeting with. The many pops of apparition came at the same time and Ginny began to make out the people as they came closer towards her and out of the trees. To say that she was surprised to see the Order making their way towards her was an understatement.  
“Mum,” she screamed as she saw the short, plump red-head Weasley matriarch approach where she and Tom were standing.   
Molly turned in shock at the sound of her voice, “Ginny!” She looked like she was about to cry and Ginny ran forward to reach her. However, about a foot from where her mother was standing she suddenly found herself hurtled backwards by an invisible force and into Tom’s waiting arms.

By the time Tom had set Ginny on her feet the rest of the Order had discerned where they were and had run over to Molly Weasley. Seeing Ginny’s wrist being held in a tight grip by Tom a large group of the Order made to move forward to help her, but Tom stopped them in their tracks with his words.  
“I wouldn’t bother trying if I were you, I wasn’t about to let you just grab Ginevra and go, there is a barrier between you of epic strength. Of course you can see her and talk to her, but you will not come too near her.”   
Tom turned to Ginny, “I shall leave you to converse with your loved ones then Ginevra.”   
With that he turned and strode a little distance away from her, allowing her some semblance of privacy.  
The Weasleys, Harry and Hermione immediately pushed to the front of the crowd gathered near Ginny and she was bombarded with a barrage of questions from her nearest and dearest.  
“How are you darling?”, “has the snake touched you at all?”, “we’ll get you out soon Gin, as soon as we can.”  
She took a deep breath, “I haven’t been hurt, not physically at least. My room is completely luxurious, but I miss my old room back at the Burrow and I miss you guys so much it hurts.”   
Molly wiped a tear from her eye, “how much do you have to see Him then Ginny?”  
Ginny grimaced, “I have to eat breakfast and dinner with Him and he occasionally stops by to see me.” Mrs Weasley nodded, seemingly satisfied by her daughter’s answer. Harry, Ron and Hermione began to catch her up on all the news in the Order and she drank up every word, eager to discover how their progress with the war was going.

While the youngsters chatted to each other a tense conversation was taking place between Voldemort and the older members of the Order of the Phoenix.   
“Tom,” said Dumbledore in a calm, but firm, tone, “you cannot keep Miss Weasley with you forever. Her place is with her family and friends and she is merely a frightened 16 year old girl. You have no reason to keep her captive and it is cruel to the poor girl.”  
Tom merely smirked at the old wizard, “alas Dumbledore, you are wrong and I cannot comply. Ginevra must be taken away from the ridiculous notions of her blood traitor family and your Order. She is of tremendous importance to me, for we are soul mates and she shall one day be my queen, once I triumph over Potter and your pathetic Order.”  
He spat the last words out like they were venom and Dumbledore looked disappointed, while the other Order members glared with disgust at Him.

Back with the youngsters, Ginny and Ron were having a rather loud argument, “don’t know why you don’t just try and escape Gin, you don’t want to be there do you?” asked Ron with shock.   
Ginny looked upset, “of course I don’t Ron, the thing I want most in the world is to be back with all of you. But I can’t escape.”  
Their argument was becoming louder and the older Order members were looking at the warring siblings with concerned faces, while Tom merely had an amused smirk on his face.  
“Oh come on Gin, you haven’t even tried to escape,” shouted Ron, ignoring warning looks from his brothers, Harry and Hermione.   
Ginny burst into tears at his angry words, “oh yes I have tried to escape Ron Weasley and look how that turned out,” she choked out while salty tears ran down her face.  
Harry glared at Ron and he looked a little ashamed with himself, but Ginny was getting into her stride and as with Mrs Weasley, once that happened there was no stopping her.  
“I tried to escape Ron, I was almost there too. I went through the kitchens at night and found an unguarded door in the hedge. But when I stepped through it was like a portal and I got dropped right in front of Him back in the Manor. He knew what I had tried and I was punished.”

The whole Order went pale, “how did He punish you Ginny,” whispered Hermione with a fearful look on her face, chocolate eyes wide with worry.  
“I had to watch …” she broke of to sob some more, “… had to watch as He, … he ki-ki-killed Dean right in front of me. I’ll have that death on my conscience forever and I will not risk that sort of thing happening again. I cannot try and escape.”   
She hung her head in shame and sadness, hiding her sobbing and blotchy red face with a curtain of fiery red hair.  
If looks could kill Tom would have been dead 100 times over with the looks the Order was giving him. Molly Weasley was fighting to stop herself just jumping at the barrier between them to try and get to her daughter and comfort the distraught girl. Harry and Ron were looking at Him with utter hatred and Hermione’s eyes were tearing up at the sight of her best female friend breaking down after her revelation.

Dumbledore looked at Tom with a mix of horror, shock, disgust and disappointment, “how far have you fallen Tom?” he asked softly.   
Tom merely sneered at his old teacher, “fallen Dumbledore, I have fallen nowhere. In fact I have risen above all my peers and soon I shall rise above you all.”  
“Tom, you claim to care for Miss Weasley and yet you subjected her to an experience which will probably haunt her for the rest of her life. She’s an innocent child Tom, you had no right.”  
Tom snarled viciously and though there was a barrier between them the whole Order, apart from Dumbledore and Harry, stepped back at his tone.   
“I have every right Dumbledore. The filthy mudblood boy was trying to prevent my work and he deserved what he got. It was just more convenient for Ginevra’s punishment that he was an ex-boyfriend, though she really should have had more taste.”  
He ignored Ginny’s louder sobs at his degradation of Dean. Dumbledore still looked angry, “what right did you have to punish Ginny though?”   
Tom looked impassive, “I had explicitly warned her of the severe consequences she would face should she try and escape me, yet she tried. She needed to be punished or she would never learnt her lesson and you must admit that the punishment did it’s work, she will not try to escape again.”  
“Yes but you’ve broken her Tom, destroyed her innocence, she will never be quite the same again,” Dumbledore said sadly, with an apprehensive glance at Ginny, whose tears had subsided into quiet sobs. 

Tom pretended not to hear, but he appeared angry at Dumbledore’s words and turned to Ginny, speaking sharply. “We’re leaving Ginevra, say goodbye to these … people.”  
It was a mark of how much Dean’s death and her imprisonment had affected Ginny when the usually fiery witch merely nodded her head and moved towards the barrier, passing each person with a whispered goodbye while Tom looked on as though he was rather bored.  
When it was her family’s turn she looked like she might cry again, but kept up a stoic face, crying inside. She wished so much to be able to hug them all, but knew Tom would never allow it.   
She moved to Hermione and gave her a ghost of a smile, a kind of reassurance that they both knew was false.   
“Look after Harry and Ron please Mione, you know they can’t get along without you.”   
Hermione nodded and burst into tears before stepping back, Remus and Sirius coming over to her to comfort the distressed witch.  
Harry moved in front of Ginny and gave her a small smile, which she returned. “I still love you Gin, always will,” he spoke softly, “and when we get out of all this and the bastard is dead then we can finally be together.”   
Ginny looked into the emerald eyes she loved so much, “yes Harry, I want it so much it hurts, I just hope you can destroy him before he devastates everything we hold dear.”   
He blew her a soft kiss and stepped out of the way to allow the final person to say his goodbye.

Dumbledore surveyed the youngest Weasley with sorrow, she had been through so much, too much for one of her age. He leant down to her to deliver Snape’s message, “tell Tom you have a wish to continue studying potions, you may get to see Severus and that will help us.”   
Her nod was almost unnoticeable and then she spoke so Tom could hear her, “I’ll miss you too Headmaster.”   
Satisfied that her words had alleviated any suspicion Ginny shuffled slowly over to Tom with an air of resignation. He gripped her tightly around the waist and she had only time for one last wave before he disapparated them both away and the magical barriers fell. Those who remained slumped at the departure of the two, knowing that Ginny had left any chance of happiness behind her, in the clearing with them.


	14. Studying Potions

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Tom apparated them directly to her room and the instant he let go of her she fell to the floor, consumed with grief, sadness, anger and crying her eyes out.   
Tom eyed the display with distaste and she heard him speak in a lofty voice, “honestly Ginevra, you are above all those sad excuses for wizards and witches, you will be the most rewarded in my new regime. Do you not look forward to it?”  
Red rimmed chocolate eyes met cold red ones, “I never asked for this Tom, I didn’t want it at all. You were supposed to be my nightmare, not my reality. I want my family and friends, people I love.”  
Tom sneered, “love is overrated Ginevra and I’m sure you will soon adapt to your new life, it isn’t like you’re going anywhere anytime soon.”   
With that he disappeared out of the door, leaving the broken girl on the floor pining for those she loved.   
She dragged herself around the room, going through the familiar motions of getting ready for bed in an attempt to ease her morose mood. Lying down on her bed once she was done she finally managed to stop crying and then she was angry. It was Him who had caused all this and one day he would pay. She would not sit idly by and let things be, she would act, be it silently or in full view.   
But first she would sleep and rest her tired body and mind, ready to plan the next day. With that comforting thought she fell asleep quickly and for the first time since she had arrived at the Manor she slept without dreams haunting her thoughts. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She woke early the next morning, feeling much better after a good night's sleep free of a constant loop of Dean’s last moments. She’d formulated a plan standing there in the forest clearing while listening to Dumbledore’s parting words to her. 

Snape was the only potion master in Tom’s group of death eaters and so if she asked to continue on studying potions he would be the only one Tom would trust with her. There was the problem of Ginny then supposedly knowing Snape was a death eater. She knew she’d have to act surprised to see him there, angry too, but still wish to learn potions. 

She was sure Tom was positive she wouldn’t be leaving until the war was over and therefore would be unable to reveal Snape as a traitor to the Order. Of course he wasn’t actually a traitor and she knew it but there was no point mentioning that little part to Tom.

She should definitely wait a few days to ask him, it would seem suspicious to ask him straight after they’d returned from seeing her loved ones. She would act quiet, grateful with a hint of sadness he hadn’t let her stay with them and then ask him in a few days.

With the positive thought of being able to get some news on her family and friends and send messages back, as well as the possibility of a familiar face, she smiled. It was her first genuine smile since she’d been kidnapped, if you discounted her seeing everyone the night before. Yep, she would get out of there if it was the last thing she did.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She spent the next four days doing much the same as she had between the time she had been captured and Dean’s death. Apparently the visit to the clearing to say her goodbyes had signalled the end of her punishment and she was allowed out of her room again, though the only place she ever went was the library.   
She practiced new spells on her own, delighted each time they worked and determined to try again until they did if she failed first time. She’d also come across an interesting discovery during her reading on Patronuses, the steps required to send a message to someone with a talking Patronus. She’d seen Order members use them a few times, but had never gotten the chance to ask them how they did it.  
She still hadn’t mastered the speaking Patronus spell, even after days of trying. The wand movement looked simple but was incredibly complex and finicky. Still, she kept trying, though it was not of a huge importance yet. She knew when, or if, she saw Snape then it would be easier to send and receive messages through him. Plus, she did know the talking Patronus’ were only to be used in emergencies and luckily she had not had one of those as of yet.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The evening of her fourth day back from the clearing came and she dressed extra carefully for dinner, for she would try and ask Tom about potions. Her dress showed just a little more cleavage than normal, not enough to make him think something out of the ordinary, but enough to make an impression. She’d also applied her make-up and done her hair with more care than normal.  
When Tom had arrived as usual to collect her he had seemed taken aback for a moment, looking her appreciatively up and down and murmuring to her, “even more beautiful than normal Ginevra.”   
He had then forgone his customary kiss on the hand for one on her cheek, lingering there just a bit longer than was proper and then taking her arm in his to escort her downstairs.  
They were over halfway through dinner when Ginny finally broached the subject of potion lessons. “Tom, could I ask something of you?” she asked in a deliberately subdued tone.  
Tom smiled a little, “that depends on what it is you wish to ask Ginevra.”   
She took a deep breath, “when I was in school I always used to enjoy potions, having such power at your disposal and the complex art of brewing.”   
She was lying through her teeth but she didn’t care as long as it worked, “I’ve started to get bored since the only place to do anything is the library and I just wondered if you had a potions master that I could learn from. Something to keep me occupied for some of my time.”

He seemed to be contemplating her request, this was the moment of truth and he could see through her façade and punish her and possibly Snape for it.   
She breathed a sigh of relief when he gave her his answer, “I believe that could be arranged Ginevra, only a few hours a week mind you, I do not have any wish to share you with anyone else.”   
He smirked, “you will be surprised with who shall teach you I am sure, you know him I believe and shall be shocked to see him here.”  
She looked curious to him, but inside she was jumping up and down with happiness, he had to be alluding to Snape and that meant the plan was working. “I shall discuss it with him,” Tom told her, “he will agree of course as I command it and your lessons shall start next week.”  
She thanked him with as much politeness as she could muster for Lord Voldemort and once dessert was over she headed quickly to her room. Once she arrived she actually did jump up and down in her room for joy, but she was careful not to say something out loud, who knew if her room was bugged. Still, she was excited and couldn’t wait for the next week.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The week passed by much as the previous ones of her captivity had, though rather slower than she wished. She guessed it was the desperate want for the day of her potions lesson to come that had time seeming so slow. She also had to make sure she never let slip to Tom just how much she was looking forward to the lessons, he would know something was wrong and then it would all have been for nothing.  
Then the anticipated day finally came and Ginny could hardly contain her eagerness to begin. She met Tom for breakfast as usual, but instead of her heading back to her room, he took her to the potions lab kept in the Manor. She pretended to look curious, as if she didn’t know who would be teaching her and she was relieved her acting skills were up to par as Tom suspected nothing.  
When Snape stepped out of the shadows as Tom announced him she played her part perfectly. Tom had to hold her back to stop her hitting him and she hurled abuse about him being a traitor to the Order and a lying, conniving snake. Tom merely smirked and Snape’s face remained passive, though she could detect a hint of amusement in his eyes.  
“So Ginevra, now you know Severus’ true loyalties are to me do you still wish to have your potions lessons?"   
Ginny looked down and made a great show of consideration before muttering under her breath, “yes Tom, I still wish to have the lessons/”  
He smiled at her, obviously believing that her boredom and thirst to be active outweighed her supposed hatred of Snape.   
“I shall leave you two to work then, “ he spoke in a bored tone before directing his next statement to Ginny, “I shall come to fetch you in three hours Ginevra.”   
Then he was gone and Ginny was left alone with her old potions master.

Snape beckoned her forward with his hand and they headed towards an inconspicuous wooden door hidden in the shadows. Once they had both entered the room the door closed and she got a good look around; it was similar to their dungeon classroom, but less desks and more equipment.  
She turned to Snape, unsure about what she was to do and he answered her questioning look with some clipped sentences. “As I’m sure you’re aware Miss Weasley, we are both doing this in order to pass messages to and from the Order and yourself. We must only speak of such things within this room as I have placed all the necessary precautions to be sure we cannot be overheard. Since your potions work was adequate when I taught you then you will assist me in some of the less volatile potions I brew whenever you are here and we aren’t discussing Order business.”  
He paused to allow her to take it all in before continuing, “obviously I don’t need to remind you of the severe consequences for both of us if the Dark Lord should discover what we are doing and so you must ensure that your Occlumency shields are always up to par. Do you understand?”  
She nodded, “yes Sir, I understand perfectly.”   
He gave a short nod, “then let us begin.”


	15. The Next Six Months

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Six months had passed since the Order had met with Ginny and Voldemort in the clearing of the Forest of Dean and they were still no closer to discovering how to enter Malfoy Manor. Sure they had made progress on the general front of war, but concerning Ginny they were still hitting dead ends.  
The six months had brought many changes to the Order; to everyone’s relief Hermione and Ron had finally stopped dancing round their feelings and were together. When Snape had conveyed this information back to Ginny they were told that she was very happy for them and it made them feel even better about being together.  
Remus was still happy with Tonks and they had finally taken the plunge and married, though they still expressed their regret that Ginny couldn’t be there to be a bridesmaid for Tonks. Fred had started dating Alicia Spinnet and George was in the process of wooing Verity, their assistant at Weasley’s Wizarding Wheezes.  
The Order members remained, for the most part, hidden inside their new headquarters. Most were allowed out at some points, but Harry, Ron and Hermione were never allowed to leave for their own safety. Though disgruntled at this they understood the reasoning, especially after what had happened to Ginny, and they agreed.  
Luckily for them the new headquarters were huge and there was plenty to explore. They also had their NEWT work to keep up, for Professor McGonagall and Mrs Weasley would never let them slack on their homework. They continued to have defence and attack lessons every day and all were improving in leaps and bounds.  
Harry was the strongest dueller of the trio and had managed to beat most of the Order at least once. Despite this, the other two had their strengths; Hermione used very creative spells, having invented a few herself during the confinement in headquarters and Ron was a brilliant strategist. Everyone knew that all three of these attributes would be needed and encouraged them to work as a trio to increase their power. 

Snape brought them messages twice a week from Ginny and sent their messages back to her. All she could tell them was that Voldemort acted much the same to her and that she missed them all terribly. She’d also got more comfortable working with Snape and they’d struck up a friendship, working in the lab formalities were merely an annoyance and so within the potions lessons she called him Severus and he called her Ginny.  
Finally, six months into the potion lessons Ginny finally found she could be of use to the Order. She was sitting quietly in the library when she heard Tom discussing an attack on Hogsmeade that only five Death Eaters knew of, and none of them were Severus. This meant she could inform the Order through them and Tom would not consider Severus as a traitor as he didn’t know of the attack.  
Luckily she had a lesson just hours after she’d overheard the conversation and wasted no time in telling Severus exactly what she had heard. He seemed pleased and even went so far as to say well done to her. She could only hope the information would be of some use in saving lives and damaging Tom’s cause.  
During her next lesson with Severus, three days later, he conveyed a message of thanks from the Order for the warning she had given them. With her information they had managed to prevent any deaths in Hogsmeade and also had four Death Eaters in custody and awaiting trial. Ginny was delighted to finally be of use to the Order rather than just being stuck in the dreary Malfoy Manor. 

Lessons carried on as normal and soon it was Ginny’s seventeenth birthday. Her parents managed to get Severus to smuggle in the traditional ‘coming of age’ gold watch, though she never wore it for fear of Tom wondering how she came about it.  
On the day of her birthday she was lucky enough to have a lesson with Severus to make her marginally happy. He brought good wishes from the entire Order and they even got the chance to eat a small cake her mother had baked for the occasion. She felt herself tearing up a bit at the small chocolate cake with strawberries on top; her mother always made the same cake for her since it was her favourite, but this year her family weren’t around to be with her. She managed to stop the tears though, she may have liked Severus better than she had previously, but she didn’t fancy him seeing her crying.

She was just about to leave the lab and go back to her room at the end of the lesson when Tom suddenly appeared. Ginny couldn’t help but be thankful that he hadn’t turned up five minutes ago or they would have been busted in a heartbeat. Still, she couldn’t think why He would be here, if he’d discovered the secret of their allegiance he wouldn’t have wasted time and Severus would be dead and her punished again. That meant that there must be another reason for the visit.  
Tom gave her a smile and that alone scared her, a happy Tom could not mean any good for her.   
“Hello Ginevra, you’ve just finished up I see, good, I want a word with both of you.”   
He swept into the lab with a swirl of his robes that would make even Severus look like an amateur and seated himself. Ginny had just enough time to shoot a look of confusion at Severus and receive one in return.  
They both sat down on the two stools opposite His and he began, “I need to inform the both of you that this will be the last potions lesson Ginevra has.”   
Ginny was incredulous, “why Tom, I like my lessons.”   
Tom just looked collected and calm, “because you will soon have other things to do and I won’t want you around any of my Death Eaters without myself present, even if they are my most faithful.”  
Severus did what was expected and bowed his head at the compliment, but Ginny was annoyed. “What could I possibly be doing that will keep me so busy.”   
She didn’t like the smirk now on Tom’s face, it was almost as bad as the smile.  
“I have decided that since you have just turned seventeen and are now an adult in our world, it is time,” his smirk grew wider and Ginny panicked.   
Deciding it would be best not to show fear she just rearranged her features into a confused face, “time for what Tom?”   
Tom grinned, “why time for you to become my lady of course Ginevra. We’re going to be married.”


	16. Marriage To A Monster

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“I have decided that since you have just turned seventeen and are now an adult in our world it is time,” his smirk grew wider and Ginny panicked.   
Deciding it would be best not to show fear she just rearranged her features into a confused face, “time for what Tom?”   
Tom grinned, “why time for you to become my lady of course Ginevra. We’re going to be married.”

Ginny was incredulous, “you can’t be serious Tom, I’m never going to marry you. I hate you and everything you stand for and I won’t be your lady.”   
He just looked at her as teacher would look at a child who didn’t understand a simple concept, “of course you will Ginevra, for you shall be my queen in the new regime.”  
She pulled away from him, “you can’t make me,” she shouted, “I won’t do it and you need me to say I do.”   
Tom just shook his head in amusement, “darling, this is the wizarding world and I am the most powerful wizard of all time. You can protest all you like, we will be married and you will learn to like it.”

If this were a different conversation Ginny would have reiterated her belief that Tom was just a big bully and that Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard, but she was too busy fuming and desperately trying to get out of her terrible fate. She noticed the panic fleetingly displayed on Severus’ face, but it quickly disappeared when Tom turned his face in the direction of where he was standing.  
“Severus,” said Tom, “I’m afraid you won’t be able to leave for a few days as I have lots of work for you to do, it’s so lucky you don’t have to work for that fool Dumbledore anymore.”   
Severus nodded and Ginny met his eyes for a second, there went the silent plan for him to tell the Order what was going to happen.  
Tom looked satisfied and turned his attention back to Ginny, who was subtly trying to edge out of the door.   
“Ah Ginevra, not trying to escape again are you?” and she didn’t miss the cruel spark in his eyes.   
She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak and he smiled. “good, go to your room and stay there. You’ll need a good night’s sleep for the wedding is to be tomorrow and you’ll have to get up early to prepare.”  
Ginny just fled the room and practically ran up to her room, tears falling and her mind full of a thousand thoughts. Married by tomorrow … how would she get out of it … she couldn’t … she wouldn’t … not to that monster … she had to tell the Order.

Severus wouldn’t be able to let them know, he’d be busy for days and couldn’t risk leaving, plus he’d be around Death Eaters so much he’d have no chance to send a patronus. So that left it up to her. She would have to use a talking Patronus, she only hoped it would work since she only really knew the theory. But she’d have to do it straight away, Tom could be there any time and after the … marriage … she shuddered at the word, she was being forced into she doubted she’d ever be out of Tom’s sight.  
She lifted her wand and picked a happy thought, the day Harry had kissed her, and let it flow through her until the silver horse burst out of her wand and she sighed in relief, that was the first bit over with then. Placing her wand to her throat she whispered the incantation and began to dictate her message.  
When she was finally done she headed to the bathroom to get ready for bed, she believed Tom was right and she would need every minute of sleep for the next day. Who knew, when she woke up it might turn out to have been some terrible nightmare.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hundreds of miles away and the Order of the Phoenix were having a meeting, thinking it was strange that they hadn’t heard from Snape yet, when a silver horse burst through the wall and came to rest in front of Dumbledore.   
Harry looked momentarily excited, “that’s Ginny’s patronus, I recognise it from the D.A!!”   
This news brought silence to the room, especially from the Weasleys. The horse opened it’s mouth and began to speak in Ginny’s clear voice; 

“I’ve only just learnt this spell in one of the library books and I hope it works. I would have sent word by Severus, but he’s going to be busy with work for Him for a few days and won’t have time to leave or send a Patronus. I’m afraid I have terrible news. He came down today, at the end of my potions lesson and told me I would no longer be having them. Because I have turned seventeen and am now an adult he has decided that I am to be married to him. I don’t want it, but he says he has ways even if I refuse to say ’I do’ and I’m scared. I don’t think I’ll be able to escape this Professor Dumbledore and I had to send this message before He arrives again. I am ok physically, so far, but I miss you all so much. I can only hope you’ll be able to find me soon. Give my love to everyone and tell them I miss them terribly. Keep the faith and remember that I will never turn to the dark and will always be waiting for you. Goodbye.”

The cries of anguish that came from Molly, Hermione and Tonks were loud and the clenched fists and burning eyes of the men were just as bad. But the worst was from the Boy-Who-Lived, whose emerald eyes burned with an intensity few had seen and whose expression said it all, Voldemort was going down as soon as possible and he would save Ginny.  
Dumbledore merely watched with a heavy heart and a worried mind. They could not stop the wedding and he felt huge guilt at leaving Ginny to such a terrible fate. But when Voldemort finally went down they would save the girl, he could only hope she hadn’t lost herself by the time that day arrived.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

Ginny awoke to an amused voice above her, “wake up Ginevra, today is the day.”   
She blinked at the bright lights and sat up to find herself face to face with Tom. She quickly shook herself awake and pulled the covers closer around herself, no way was she going anywhere near him in her night clothes.  
“Doesn’t this mean we can’t get married,” she spoke with hope, “you aren’t supposed to see the bride before the wedding. Then again,” she added on as an afterthought, “the bride is supposed to be willing to marry the groom and that definitely isn’t the case here.”  
Tom merely smiled angelically, “I don’t care for that tradition and as to the second complaint, you don’t have to be willing, you will do as I say.”   
Ginny’s glare intensified, “I will not and you can’t make me,” she declared resolutely.   
Tom’s face remained the same, but she could see a hint of terrible anger behind his eyes, “oh yes you will Ginevra. First you will shower, then put on the gown I’ve laid out, then do hair and makeup. You will then wait for someone to escort you down and you will marry me. For every thing you do not do as instructed I will arrange the deaths of ten people, some you will know and others will just be innocents. Do we understand each other.”  
She just nodded, terrified of the side he showed rarely to her. It was out of the question for her to disobey any order and he knew it, she would never let what happened to Dean happen to anyone else, she couldn’t have it on her conscience.

“Someone will be up in exactly an hour and a half,” he told her, the dangerous smile replaced by a calmer one. She remained still as he kissed her on the cheek and left the room, barely realising she had been holding her breath until she let it out on his exit. She supposed she would have to get ready, Tom’s anger was legend to behold, so she’d been told by Severus and she’d seen it on occasion herself.  
She carried out the motions of showering, dressing and then sorting out her hair and make-up mechanically, taking just over an hour to complete it all. The dress was exquisite, white silk and beautifully embroidered, it was the dream wedding dress she’d described to Tom when she had been eleven years old and she was surprised that he remembered. It was still her dream dress, but now she’d give anything not to have to wear it, especially not if it meant she had to marry Him.  
She didn’t know what to do with her hair, he’d told her once that he thought it looked beautiful loose and that in itself made her want to put it up, but something stopped her. She got the feeling that he’d know she’d done it purposefully and would find some sly way to punish her for it and she couldn’t have that. Sighing she took the brush, getting rid of all the tangles and letting her hair remain loose, cascading down her back in rich red waves.   
Her makeup was simple, some shimmery eye shadow, mascara and lip gloss was all it took to complete her toilette. Looking in the mirror she had to admit she looked more beautiful than ever before, but the feeling was tinged with worry and anger at being forced into a marriage with Voldemort. He was the only one who wanted it, she certainly didn’t and she could guess his followers weren’t too happy about him marrying a girl they saw as a ’blood traitor’. 

Once she was ready she sat herself carefully on one of the chairs, trying not to crease her dress and thinking of a thousand and one places she’d rather be.   
A while later a knock was heard, before the door opened and Severus entered. He grimaced apologetically, “I’m so sorry Ginny, the Dark Lord has sent me up to escort you downstairs.”  
She nodded tersely, “well if that is what his highness wants then of course I’ll oblige,” she spoke sarcastically and with more than a hint of anger and bitterness.   
Severus found he couldn’t blame her, she’d found herself in a most horrible position.  
Their walk was silent, each lost in their own thoughts, but Severus stopped abruptly outside the ballroom they were just about to enter and gripped her wrist.   
“There will be only a few present to witness the marriage, myself included, but the ball afterwards, where he will ‘present’ you to the Death Eaters, will be very busy, but He will probably keep you near him. Just remember to do as you are told or you could find yourself or your friends in very dangerous positions.”  
Obviously not expecting her to answer, he swung open the door and pushed her inside, following at a small distance. This ballroom was obviously the smaller one, but it was still lavishly decorated and she could see Tom waiting at the end of the room, with a man who looked like a ministry official. No one else but the two of them, Severus and herself were present and for that she was thankful.

Tom beckoned her with a grin and she walked forward slowly, as if hoping that something would happen in the interim to prevent the wedding. She was obviously out of the little luck she’d had since her capture and met Tom at the small archway.  
She tried not to think of the corrupt ministry official performing the ceremony, or the words said, but she couldn’t ignore it when they arrived at the vows. Tom spoke his quickly, clearly and with a smirk on his handsome face. But when it came for Ginny to say ‘I do’ she faltered.  
Tom’s eyes narrowed, “come now Ginevra, you know what you must say.”   
But she shook her head resolutely, she couldn’t possibly go through with this and Tom sighed. “I didn’t want to have to do this Ginevra, but you have forced my hand.”   
He motioned to Severus, who disappeared and reappeared a few moments later with a prisoner struggling in his arms. Her expression was horrified when she saw who it was - Fred.  
He saw her after a moment and struggled more, shouting out to her and calling her name. She tried to go to him, but Tom had a firm grip on her arm and she was unable to. He gave her an evil grin, “well Ginevra, you have a choice. You can refuse to marry me and I will kill your beloved brother and then force you into it anyway. Or you can marry me and I will let your brother go in a goodwill gesture.”  
Fred was shaking his head violently, “don’t do it Ginny, you don’t want to marry him, you can’t. Don’t sacrifice your happiness for me.”   
But Ginny had tears falling down her face, “I won’t let anyone else die because of me Fred, I’ll save you because I couldn’t bear it if you died.”

She turned to Tom, face wet but clean due to magical makeup, “how do I know you’ll actually release him if I do this.”   
Tom grinned, knowing he had won, “I will make an Unbreakable Vow to have your brother sent back to where we caught him, which happens to be that silly shop of his, as soon as we are married and I will promise not to immediately recapture him.”  
Ginny could still see Fred shaking his head at her and the sad, but resigned look hidden in Severus’ eyes. She knew that he knew what she would do, there was no other choice really. She hung her head and nodded slowly, refusing to look up and see the look of triumph on Tom’s face … and the look of horror mingled with sadness and pity in Fred’s face.  
The Unbreakable Vow was soon performed with Severus as bonder and then it was back to the ceremony.   
She had supposed that Fred would go back to the dungeons for a bit, but Tom had waved Severus forward, “keep the Weasley brat here, I suppose it would be nice for Ginevra to have at least one family here on the momentous occasion of her wedding.  
She listened to the motions of the marriage again, listened as the vows were repeated and Tom said ‘I do’ again. Then he turned to her expectantly and with an air of destroying any possibility of freedom she might have had, Ginny spoke the two dreaded words before she could change her mind and Fred ended up dead; “I do.”  
She didn’t think she’d ever seen Tom this pleased, even more so than when he’d first caught her. Fred, on the other hand, had a look of ultimate devastation on his features and she leant down to whisper to him as Tom led her away as his wife.   
“Sorry Fred, I couldn’t let them hurt you. Tell everyone I love them and miss them, tell Harry he is my only true love and that I will find a way back to him.”  
Fred nodded sadly and disappeared with Severus when Tom dismissed them to return Fred. She was glad it was Severus since that meant that the Order would receive word quickly and Fred would remain unharmed. She could barely tell where Tom was leading her, to the bigger ballroom she supposed. She definitely didn’t want this stupid ball to celebrate something she despised so much. All she really wanted was to lie down on her bed and cry, but she knew of course that Tom would never allow that.

They reached a set of oak double doors with intertwined serpents as handles and Tom paused for a moment. “Ginevra,” he breathed the word slowly, his silky tone making it sound like a seduction rather than everyday conversation, “my wife.”   
She tried not to grimace and must have succeeded, for he just leant down to kiss her, on the mouth this time. This kiss was more heated than any previously had been and she guessed it was because they were now married. Oh Merlin, she really didn’t want to think of the wedding night, surely he wouldn’t expect her to …”  
But there was no time for that now, the doors were flung open and Tom escorted her to the top of a beautiful balcony type area overlooking a ballroom. There were so many Death Eaters there, the men in formal robes and the women in some of the most beautiful dresses she had ever laid eyes on.  
The moment she and Tom entered, the music and dancing in the ballroom stopped and the ‘guests’ turned to see the pair above them. Tom smirked arrogantly, “my faithful Death Eaters, tonight we celebrate, for tonight you receive your Dark Lady. May I present Lady Ginevra, my wife.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Regarding the ‘Lady’ title, well she isn’t a real lady, but since Tom calls himself Lord Voldemort, I figured he’d want Ginny to have a title and since he wants her to be the new Dark Lady then that led to Lady Ginevra.
> 
> As for Fred, I suppose I could have killed him off, since that would be more in Voldemort’s character. But I’m just going to pretend that getting to marry Ginny and making Fred watch would make him happy for the moment. Also, I don't like to kill off characters I like.


	17. Wedding Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait. What with Christmas, term starting and being ill I just never got the time to upload. There should be more chapters coming.

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The moment she and Tom entered, the music and dancing in the ballroom stopped and the ‘guests’ turned to see the pair above them. Tom smirked arrogantly, “my faithful Death Eaters, tonight we celebrate, for tonight you receive your Dark Lady. May I present Lady Ginevra Riddle.”  
The Death Eaters below all clapped politely, because it was what was expected and not because they wanted to. Ginny knew they hated her, she and her family were supposedly ‘blood traitors’ and while she didn’t care what a bunch of stuck up snobs thought, she didn’t want to get hurt and stayed close to Tom for that reason.  
She followed Tom as he weaved his way through the crowds to receive bows and congratulations. She didn’t see why he cared for them since he had to know they were completely fake and that, given half a chance, most people in the room would kill her on the spot.

She noted many looks of disgust, some even of jealousy (mostly Bellatrix) and even a few looks of appreciation that made her feel very exposed. Tom soon caught these looks; one glare and a flash of red in his eyes was all it took for the death eaters to avert their eyes and while she hated Tom she couldn’t help but be glad he’d saved her from the other Death Eaters' perverted looks. Of course it didn’t help that he was looking at her with the same lust filled eyes, it didn’t bode well for her plan of staying as far away as possible from him after the party.  
Tom danced with her many times, holding her close and firmly with a smirk on his face. She’d given up trying to squirm away after the first attempted resulted in a whispered threat to have a random prisoner brought up for ’entertainment’.  
She was cursing herself internally for showing so much compassion to others in front of him, now all it took was one threat towards an innocent and she would do anything he said, he used this constantly to his advantage.  
Tom let her dance with a few of his most trusted Death Eaters, but made sure he always kept an eye on them to prevent any inappropriate behaviour. Her dance with Lucius Malfoy was hell, he’d only asked her so he could lord all over her and look down on her, though he couldn’t say anything to her within Tom’s hearing.  
She also danced with both Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange, dark and dangerous men who gave her a serious case of the creeps and stayed completely silent. Still, they were better than Malfoy, for they didn’t really look down on her and even bowed before and after the dance.  
Dolohov was the worst, for one Ginny knew he was the one to send the curse at Hermione during the battle at the Department of Mysteries, one that would have killed her had she not been so young and healthy. Secondly he kept touching her in an inappropriate way whenever Tom looked away for a moment. The guy was in his late forties and that just made it even more disgusting. But he got his comeuppance later when Tom crucioed him in front of all present as both entertainment and for disobeying orders regarding her.  
Her final dance with a Death Eater was with Severus and this one was infinitely more comfortable than the others. On the outside they both gave the impression of indifference (Severus) and anger (Ginny). They were in fact whispering quietly, she was giving him information on her condition to pass on to the Order and told him she’d sent the Patronus message to them earlier in the day. He’d been impressed with that, knowing it to be a difficult piece of magic just to create a Patronus, let alone have it send a message. 

Once that dance was over she reluctantly returned to Tom, trying and failing to hide her grimace.  
He smiled slightly, “what is the matter Ginevra, are you not enjoying yourself?”  
Ginny studied his face for a second, he seemed in a relatively good mood and therefore she would let him know exactly what she thought of the whole stupid party.  
“Well Tom,” she said sardonically, “I’m married to a man I despise and at a party filled with aristocratic, stuck-up prats who don’t like me. This whole party is a complete farce because the only reason this lot,” she gestured to the guests, “are here is because you have power and they want their share, the only reason they even consider bowing to me or trying to be polite is because you order it. So, to answer your question, I am not having a nice time here.”  
Tom shook his head in amusement as if she was a small child having a tantrum, “that is merely human nature Ginevra, people are inherently selfish and self-centred. They want to look out for their own interests and I’m just helping them with that.”  
Ginny just gave him a sceptical glare, “don’t even try that crap with me Tom, you couldn’t care less about any of the people in this room, they are a means to an end. They have money, influence, ability and you just want to use them to achieve your sick and twisted goals. If you ever won, which won’t happen, then you would merely use them as a means to controlling everyone so you didn’t have to bother with it yourself. They don’t realise, but they’re just soldiers and in your ideal world they wouldn’t have power, they’d have wealth, status and all be puppets controlled by you.”  
Tom clapped softly, “bravo Ginevra, I did pick well, you have just shown intelligence most of my Death Eaters do not seem to possess.”  
Ginny shook her head, “I doubt it, they’re just so caught up in your thrall that they don’t see what’s right in front of their big heads.”  
Tom laughed lightly, “well let’s not fight on our wedding day Ginevra, there will be plenty more days after this for you to debate to your heart’s content.”  
Ginny muttered something under her breath that sounded a little like “.. I’d rather bash my own head in with a pickaxe than spend time anywhere near you.”  
Tom looked interested, “what was that Ginevra darling,” but Ginny shook her head and smiled sweetly to hide her hate, “nothing at all.” 

Tom seemed to realise she had insulted him because his eyes flashed red and he grabbed her arm, “come darling, I think it’s time we retired … for our wedding night.”  
He smirked at the look of pure fear that crossed her face as she tried to pull away from his grip.  
But he held on tightly, “now now Ginevra, it wouldn’t be nice to make a scene at your own wedding would it.”  
“Anything,” she whispered, “anything but that.”  
Tom grinned, “but your refusal will just make it all the sweeter when I get what I want … and I always get what I went Ginevra.”  
He let go of her arm and took her hand, leading her up to the front of the ballroom and facing the now still Death Eaters.  
“My wife and I thank you all for coming to celebrate our union with us,” Tom spoke slowly and clearly, obviously ignoring the fact that everyone could see that Ginny would rather be anywhere but there. “Now we shall retire for our first night as man and wife, feel free to enjoy the celebrations for a little while longer.”  
He led her towards the door among applause and she panicked even more, the insinuation in his words to the Death Eaters was too blatant to be ignored. She was going to be forced to sleep with Lord Voldemort!


	18. Wedding Night Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: This chapter contains implication of and the beginnings of, rape. If you are uncomfortable reading it then read to the part you are comfortable with and then skip to the end where I will give a quick overview of the chapter. But the scene is mild and mostly implied.

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He led her towards the door among applause and she panicked even more, the insinuation in his words to the Death Eaters was too blatant to be ignored. She was going to be forced to sleep with Lord Voldemort!  
Damn, damn, damn! This was not good, she’d thought about being forced to marry Tom a great deal over the past day but she had never really considered the implications … implications like the wedding night. She would never sleep with Him willingly, did that mean he was going to force her, going to rape her. She was a virgin, she’d been saving herself for Harry, for when they finally got together after the war.  
As these thoughts were running through her head Tom was pulling her through the maze of corridors in Malfoy Manor towards what she knew to be his private quarters. She soon found herself in the middle of a very Slytherin-like room that she guessed was his, except she noticed her trunk and she bet that if she went and looked in the closet her clothes would be there too.  
A questioning look at Tom answered her question, “as my wife you will of course be moving into my rooms, we will have activities to be doing at night.”   
Ginny paled and backed away slowly, “oh no, I am not sleeping with you, in the same bed or the same room. Hell, if I had the choice I wouldn’t sleep on the same planet as you.”  
Tom shook his head, “now now Ginny be nice, you’re going to have to get used to it eventually. Take this,” he thrust a silky bundle into her hand, “and go into the bathroom to change for bed.”   
He put a hand on the small of her back and directed her towards the opulent bathroom, closing the door softly behind him.

She held up the garment he’d given her and grimaced, “you have got to be fucking kidding me.” It was a very short, very low cut silky green nightie and she really did not want to wear it in front of him.   
She sat stubbornly down on the floor, still in her wedding dress and planning on remaining there until he told her she didn’t have to wear the stupid nightie.   
Ten minutes later and Tom had obviously gathered that she wasn’t planning on coming out anytime soon because he knocked on the door and called in to her, “Ginevra, put it on and come out in five minutes or I’ll come in and make you … I know you don’t want that.”  
He was right, she didn’t and she knew he’d make good on his threat so she stood up and began to get changed. She cursed him under her breath in a steady stream of words that would make the most hardened sailor blush as she slipped the silky material over her head.  
Eying her reflection with distaste she tried pulling it down to make it longer, only succeeding in showing off more of her cleavage. When she tried tugging it up she just made it shorter, neither way seemed to be working. Giving a cry of frustration she gave up and just left it the way it was.

She stepped out of the bathroom, almost running into Tom, who was standing right in front of the door. And he was shirtless damnit, how would she ever get out of this. His eyes widened when he saw her and when she saw the intensity in them she lowered her head and began tugging on the nightie self-consciously again.  
“It’s lucky you came now, I was just about to go in there and drag you out,” he said, “I was right, that negligee looks gorgeous on you,” he gave her an appreciative smirk.   
She just frowned, “yeah that’s my goal in life, make you as happy as possible.”   
Tom shook his head, “sarcasm doesn’t become you darling, but feel free to make me as happy as you wish.”   
She threw him a dirty look and headed over to the sofa in the corner of the room, planning to lay down and sleep there, if she had to be in the same room as him then she definitely wouldn’t be in the same bed. But Tom guessed where she was going and caught her round the waist, pulling her closer into him.   
She couldn’t deny that he was a gorgeous man, because it was true, but evil maniacs could be good looking and Ginny knew better than to judge a person based on looks alone. She didn’t want to do anything with Tom, he’d kidnapped her and emotionally scarred her before forcing her to marry him to save her family and friends from his retribution.

With a hold still on her waist Tom guided her over to the bed and dropped her on the bed. He swiftly pinned her arms down when she made to get up and positioned himself so his face was hovering over hers. Leaning down he kissed her softly on the mouth and while his lips were warm and the kiss would have been nice, it seemed disgusting to her - because it came from Him rather than Harry.  
Sensing that she wasn’t responding, Tom kissed her again, more forcibly this time and she tried to wriggle out of his grasp, but remained pinned down by his muscled arms. She had her eyes squeezed tightly shut as he pulled away and began to caress her face in a gesture she would never had associated with him, but it still made her skin tingle with revulsion.  
When his hands moved quickly to her nightie, attempting to pull the straps from her shoulders and take it off, she looked at him with tear filled eyes, “please don’t do this, please Tom.”   
But he ignored her pleas and she knew it would be futile to resist, but she still tried.   
She managed to get it a good few punches, even a kick, for Ginny was anything but weak. However, Tom had the height and the strength advantage and she was soon subdued under his grip.   
“Ginevra, this will all go much easier if you just accept it and enjoy it, after all, it will be happening rather regularly.”  
Ginny shook her head defiantly, “I won’t do this, you can’t make me do it.”   
Tom looked amused, “ahh but you see Ginevra, I can make you do it. There is an easy way and a hard way, it would pain me to force you, but I will if I have to.”   
He looked at Ginny’s face and the look on it at that moment made it clear to both of them that it would never be easy, he would have to force her.  
Tom’s face looked almost apologetic when he spoke next, “I’m sorry Ginevra, but you will not submit and therefore I shall have to force you.”  
He leaned down and kissed her forcefully before practically ripping the nightie off her, leaving her trembling and naked below him. Then he took her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Summary:  
> Ginny is moved into Tom’s quarters and expected to share his bed and sleep with him. She is determined to get out of it and fights against him. In the end he ends up raping her and taking her virginity (which she had been saving for Harry) because she will not bend to his will and do it willingly.


	19. Complications

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Ginny woke the next morning aching and bruised, with dried tears on her face and her nightgown ripped to shreds. She was groggy at first but soon began to recall the events of the previous night … oh Merlin … she’d been raped, her virginity taken … oh Merlin she was going to be sick.  
She pulled herself out of the bed, ignoring the form next to her, and hurried to the bathroom to throw up with disgust at what had happened. Her retching was rather loud and she heard a few groans as Tom woke up in the next room. She finished throwing up and cleaned her face, wiping her mouth with one of the towels, before returning to the bedroom and finding Tom awake and sitting up in the bed.  
“Something wrong Ginevra, you sound ill,” she almost heard concern in his voice but she just glared at him, “I got sick after thinking about what happened last night,” let him make what he would of that.  
Tom just shrugged, “I’m sure you’ll get used to it darling.”  
She looked at him defiantly, “well what if I don’t want to get used to it?”  
Tom’s eyes narrowed, “you have no choice in the matter, you are my wife and you will obey me. Now,” he pulled himself out of the bed, “I have some business to attend to and you are to stay here until I return, I don’t trust you to not try and escape.”  
He waved his wand and was dressed, kissed her and disappeared out of the door.  
She sat down on the bed, head in hands and began to sob. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first few days of Ginny’s ‘marriage’ passed slowly for her and she spent much of her time wishing she was anywhere but where she was. Since Tom’s room had a library attached to it she was no longer allowed to even leave the suite of rooms she resided in and was sure she’d go crazy from loneliness.  
At least she had Severus to talk to before, even though it was only twice a week. Tom wouldn’t let anyone see her, he was “concerned that some of my Death Eaters might try and harm you, I’d hate to have to kill my own men.”  
She ate every meal at the small, but still fancy, dining table in the suite with Tom and spent most of her time either reading or just sitting there in thought. Tom forced her to sleep with him each night and occasionally sometime in the day, if it took his fancy and she hated every moment of it.  
He insisted that she fall pregnant as soon as possible in order for him to have an heir. She was therefore submitted to weekly pregnancy tests by the medi-witch he seemed to have somehow ‘coerced’ into working there. Ginny suspected she was Imperioed and then Obliviated each time.  
Each test so far had been negative, much to her never-ending relief, but she knew that her luck couldn’t hold out forever. She would eventually fall pregnant and then the nightmare would worsen and she would be bringing even more innocent life into the dark life she was trapped in.

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She was a little concerned when Tom appeared in the room in the middle of the day, he never did that unless something hugely important was happening or if he was going to force her to sleep with him again. She didn’t really know which option was the worst and prayed that maybe this time he just wanted to talk - somehow she doubted it.  
“Ginevra darling, I have some most exciting news for you. The day is finally here, the final battle at Hogwarts will be decided today and when I return victorious then we shall rule over the wizarding world for years to come.”  
He said all this with a huge smirk and her stomach dropped, the final battle was really here, how many loved ones would she lose?  
“You won’t win,” she told him quietly, “Harry will defeat you and then he’ll come save me from this hell hole.”  
Tom just smiled serenely at her, “we shall see won’t we Ginevra.“ He turned just as he was about to leave, “and don’t bother trying to escape while I’m away Ginevra, there are guards at your door and obstacles all round the manor.”  
Then he was gone from the room, off to the war that would decide her fate.

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She ran to the bathroom for the fourth time since Tom had come to tell her of the Final Battle and retched violently into the marble sink. There was no use denying that there was something wrong with her and she was not pleased with the most viable option - pregnancy.  
She picked one of the books in Tom’s private library off the shelf and found the spell to check for pregnancy. She practiced the hand movement for a few minutes and double checked what each colour meant - a blue light for pregnant and a red light for not pregnant.  
She waved her wand, said the incantation and waited.  
One minute and both the light and Ginny’s life changed forever - it was blue.  
“Oh Merlin, this can’t be happening,” she whispered the words, wishing so desperately that she it was all just a nightmare. Her next pregnancy test was scheduled for two days time and if Tom won - an outcome she prayed would never come to pass - then she would have even less freedom and would end up bringing innocents into this mess.  
Even if Harry defeated him, what would happen when they all found out about the baby, Harry wouldn’t love her any longer, how could he when she was pregnant with Voldemort’s child. She would just have to try and find a way to get rid of it.  
Voices inside her head were battling out her choices and she didn’t know which route to pick;

“Have to get rid of it … can’t bring it into a dark world … can’t let Tom shape it’s future … Harry would never accept it.”  
“But it’s an innocent life … I can’t just kill it because I can’t cope … it deserves a chance at life.”

She screamed out, her frustration past boiling point and her head full of unwanted opinions. She would wait and see, if, like she hoped and believed, Harry won, then she would try and work out some sort of solution. She just had to cling to the hope that Harry would win and she would be able to find someone to help - she was sure Severus would help without letting any of the others know.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ginny stood pacing the length of her room and occasionally chewing on her bottom lip in worry. She knew the final battle was taking place right that moment and she was petrified for the outcome. Every noise made her jump and she waited, terrified, for the door to open and for the victor of the battle to walk in.  
She had been wearing holes in the carpet for what must have been six hours when the door finally swung open and a lone figure stood there. The figure was tall with dark hair and a thin frame, it could be either Harry or Tom and she knew for sure that her hope was all pinned on it being the bespectacled, emerald eyed saviour.  
The figure stepped in to the light and she could finally see the face of the victor of the greatest wizarding war of the century.  
It was ….


	20. Rescue From The Gilded Cage

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Ginny stood pacing the length of her room and occasionally chewing on her bottom lip in worry. She knew the final battle was taking place right that moment and she was petrified for the outcome. Every noise made her jump and she waited, terrified, for the door to open and for the victor of the battle to walk in.  
She had been wearing holes in the carpet for what must have been six hours when the door finally swung open and a lone figure stood there. The figure was tall with dark hair and a thin frame, it could be either Harry or Tom and she knew for sure that her hope was all pinned on it being the bespectacled, emerald eyed saviour.   
The figure stepped in to the light and she could finally see the face of the victor of the greatest wizarding war of the century.   
It was …

It was Harry and she threw herself at him, sobbing terribly and hugging him as hard as possible, determined to make sure he was real. She pulled back in time to see Ron and Hermione enter the room behind him and she saw the smiles light up their faces when they saw she was there.  
She was swept up in a hug from Ron in an unusual display of affection, followed by one of equal enthusiasm from Hermione.   
“I’m so glad you guys are here, did we win then?”  
Harry’s face fell for a moment, “the battle is still going on Ginny. Our mission was to get you out first while the Order had Voldemort occupied and then we’re supposed to go back.”   
Ginny nodded, worried about her family but curious, “so how did you guys get in here anyway, I thought there were loads of wards and spells?”  
Hermione nodded, “there was, it took a while to get here, we left the battle three hours ago.”  
Ron nodded, “yeah, it was definitely an experience I won’t forget in a hurry.

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3 Hours previously

Dumbledore looked solemnly at the three teenagers in front of him, “the time has come and battle is upon us whether we are ready or not. The final confrontation with Voldemort will be down to you Harry, but before you head to the battlefield I have one final mission for the three of you.”  
The Golden Trio looked rather confused, what mission could Dumbledore possibly have for them that needed doing while the battle was going on.   
Dumbledore gave a small smile, “the Order and myself shall battle with the dark army and distract them while you go and retrieve Miss Weasley from Malfoy Manor.”  
The three had expressions of shock, “how can we do that Professor? asked Hermione, “Malfoy Manor is too protected, we can’t even see it, let alone get in there.”   
Something of the old twinkle returned to Dumbledore’s eyes, “that, Miss Granger, is where the battle comes in. Security will be greatly decreased since Voldemort and most Death Eaters will be present at the battle, I wager that you’ll have a few low level Death Eaters to deal with at most.”  
Harry, Ron and Hermione looked at each other and then back to Dumbledore, they nodded simultaneously, “we’ll do it.”   
Dumbledore nodded, “the battle is about to begin,” he told them, “go now and may Merlin be with the three of you, return as soon as possible and make sure Miss Weasley is safe.”  
The trio gripped hands together, as was their tradition before any difficult task, and apparated away.

2 Hours previously

They had managed to enter the Manor after twenty minutes of the combined ward breaking skills the three possessed, thankfully without tripping any alarm they knew of. They had then spent the half hour up until that point wandering pretty aimlessly down the corridors that never seemed to end, they suspected that they were magically changeable for those who did not know the place.  
They were arguing quietly on the best way to go about finding Ginny when Ron, who was in front, whacked into a huge stone. Stepping back, the three found it was not in fact a stone, but a giant sphinx.   
Harry rolled his eyes, “a bloody sphinx, Voldemort has to pick that to guard Ginny. It was bad enough with that one at the Triwizard tournament, I so don’t need this.”  
Ron patted him on the shoulder and Hermione tried to comfort him, “look on the bright side Harry, this must mean we’re on the right track to finding Ginny.”   
She looked up at the sphinx, “ask us your question.”  
The sphinx looked down at them loftily and then spoke in a booming voice, “what walks on four legs in the morning, two legs in the afternoon and three legs in the evening?”  
Unsurprisingly it was Hermione who began jumping up and down, hand in the air, while Harry and Ron exchanged amused glances.   
“We aren’t in school any more Mione,” Ron remarked, “no need for the hand in the air, just tell us the bloody answer.”  
Hermione looked rather affronted, but spoke rapidly, “it’s a human, they crawl as babies, walk as adults and walk with a cane as an elder.”   
She looked up at the sphinx, “the answer is a human.”   
The sphinx, now with a rather bored expression on its face (who knew that was possible for a sphinx, thought Hermione) merely nodded and lifted one of its huge paws to allow them to pass.  
Looking ahead, they saw a corridor of darkness and worry overtook their elation at getting past the sphinx. Harry was the one to step forward boldly, “come on, we have to find Ginny and this is the right way, it’s probably just an illusion anyway.”   
Ron and Hermione nodded, albeit sceptically, and they moved forward to disappear into the darkness.

1 Hour previously

“Fucking hell,” muttered Ron breathlessly as Hermione wheezed beside him and Harry nodded, “my sentiments exactly.”   
Ron just shook his head, “what sort of sick maniac leaves a trap to stick us in a cage with five fully grown Blast Ended Skrewts, I thought we’d seen the last of the cursed things after we dropped Care of Magical Creatures.”  
“Ron,” said Hermione, but Ron wasn’t listening, choosing instead to continue ranting to Harry about psychos and dark wizards.  
Hermione tried again, her voice coming out a little nervous, “Ron?”   
Rolling his eyes Ron turned to her, “Hermione if you’re going to tell me to be nice about those Blast Ended monsters then you’ve got another thing coming, I’m not joining some S.P.E.W for killing machine creatures.”  
Hermione’s eyes narrowed, “actually Ronald I share your opinion about those creatures,” she spoke coldly and Ron flinched at her icy tone, “I was actually trying to point out the fact that it’s getting colder in here and we all know what that signals.”  
Harry went white, Ron flushed with embarrassment and Hermione pulled out her wand as the black cloaked forms of three Dementors floated towards them, getting nearer and nearer. They could feel the happiness leeching out of the air and knew they had to act soon.   
Harry muttered something under his breath that sounded like “ruddy bastard, what else are we going to have to go through to find Ginny.”   
Then came the chorus of three voices, “Expecto Patronum.”

10 Minutes previously

“She’s near,” whispered Harry, “I can feel her presence.”   
Neither Ron nor Hermione questioned exactly how he knew this, they both knew just how much Harry loved Ginny and how much she loved Harry and that kind of love gives a bond.  
Hermione pointed her wand at the door in front of her and whispered an incantation, “Humanae Revelio”.   
Her wand tip flashed five times and she turned to an anxious Harry and Ron, “there are five people in the near vicinity and I’m guessing that four of them are Death Eaters.”  
They raised their wands and the same spell came from their mouths, “Bombarda Maxima”, the force of the three spells blasting the door open and, as they saw when they entered the room with wands drawn, managed to knock one of the four Death Eaters unconscious.  
So there were three of them against three Death Eaters and as if by unspoken agreement they split off and took one Death Eater each. The unmasked men were all unknown to the trio, obviously all the more important Death Eaters were off fighting in the final battle and all the better for them.  
Five minutes later and the Death Eaters were all unconscious, magically bound and the trio stood there, a little tired but with no more than a few cuts and bruises. Voldemort should be ashamed of these Death Eaters, they were a disgrace to his ranks, completely incompetent duellers and rather dim too.  
Hermione’s revealing spell revealed one person to be through the door directly in front of them and as they opened it they just prayed it was Ginny. Their relief when they saw the slender red haired figure lying on the bed was huge, they’d finally found her.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back to the Present

“Time to go Ginny,” Ron told her after the delighted red head had hugged them all, but Ginny stopped for a moment and looked worried.   
“My wand, it won’t do certain things,” she told them, hanging her head, “he … He did some spell so I can’t hurt him.”   
Hermione smiled kindly at her and prised the wand from Ginny’s hand, waving her own wand over it in complicated motions for a few minutes without speaking a single word.  
She handed it back to Ginny with a smile, “he used complex spell work, but it was rather simple once I got the hang of it,” laughing as Ginny squealed with delight and hugged her again.   
Harry smiled warmly at her and Ron kissed her quickly, “there’s nothing our Mione can’t do,” he announced proudly.  
Ginny looked between Hermione and Ron with speculation in her brown eyes, “are you two together then?” she asked casually.   
Hermione and Ron both blushed a furious red, but nodded and Ginny beamed, “it’s about time really.”   
They all laughed and Harry grabbed Ginny’s hand, squeezing it and giving her a small smile that she returned with a kiss on the cheek and a whisper of “soon.”  
Ron cleared his throat loudly, causing Harry and Ginny to jump apart suddenly, “so are we all ready to go.”   
They all nodded, Ginny most emphatically, “I’ve been ready to leave since the moment I got here.”   
With the wards down it would be safe to apparate and so they all disappeared with a pop, Hermione (being the best at apparition) taking Ginny, who had not yet had the chance to do her test, by side-apparition. 

The same question was on all their minds; what sort of battle would they walk into?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is wondering about the question the sphinx asked, I know it is a well known and rather simple riddle, but I didn’t want to try making one up (because it would inevitably be rather bad) so I borrowed this one.


	21. The Final Battle At Hogwarts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, in this there will be no ‘Priori Incantatem’ - where Harry and Voldemort’s wands don’t work against each other because they have the same core - as there was in Book 4. Just pretend that Voldemort got a new wand.

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The scene that the four of them apparated into was one they’d never forget, spells were flying everywhere, bodies on the ground and the centre of the darkened battlefield lit up by the amazing duel going on in the middle of the battle - Lord Voldemort versus Albus Dumbledore.   
As soon as Harry had assessed the situation he pulled a silvery pile of material out of his pocket and shoved it at Ginny, “my invisibility cloak,” he told her by way of explanation, “put it on and find a safe place to hide until the battle is over, we can’t let Voldemort get to you again.”  
Ginny was about to protest, she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself and she wanted to help, but Harry was heading purposefully towards Tom, followed closely by Ron and Hermione. Ginny rolled her eyes, she loved him, but that boy had serious protectiveness issues.   
She made her decision and followed a little distance behind the trio, wearing to cloak of course, it wouldn’t do to be recaptured by Tom’s people. She tried not to look at the still bodies on the floor, especially knowing that everyone of her family and friends were fighting. She cast a couple of stunning spells at Death Eaters fighting her friends, knowing the power behind the spells would keep them knocked out for a good few hours - hopefully the battle would be over by then.

When she finally made it to the middle of the battle, Harry and Tom were squaring up opposite each other. Dumbledore had been reprieved from the battle and was know breathing heavily on the sidelines, leaning a little on Severus for support - from the glares he was receiving from Death Eaters and Tom she guessed that his spy position had been revealed.  
However, no one made a move to attack him, she guessed both sides had orders to wait until one of the two in the middle was dead before resuming attack. There was so much pushing around to watch that no one noticed the petite figure that shoved her way to the front, invisible to all eyes.  
Then it began - a duel between two of the greatest wizards of all time - and what a duel it was. The two figures moved so fast it was almost impossible to tell where they were most of the time. Spells flew and near misses were aplenty - gasps from the crowd added to the atmosphere of fear, worry and tension and Ginny herself bit back cries of shock when she saw the telltale green light of the killing curse thrown from both sides at different times, neither hitting their target.  
Things came to a head quickly and suddenly when a sneaky spell of Tom’s managed to disarm Harry and knock him to the floor. Harry was defenceless without a wand and no one could help him - it still had to be him defeating Voldemort and without a wand that wasn’t possible. The light could have tried to regain Harry’s wand by battling Voldemort but they all knew the only one except Harry capable of that was Dumbledore - he was currently exhausted and in no state to duel.

Tom sneered at Harry, “so this is what it all comes down to Harry Potter, you are wandless and unable to defend yourself - what a pathetic end for ‘the-boy-who-lived-to-be-killed’,” he laughed harshly at his own little joke, while the Death Eaters tittered along with him nervously. 

He raised his wand and Ginny knew what was meant to come, she couldn’t let that happen - not to the boy she loved so much. She did the only thing she could and pulled the cloak off her, stepping forward into Tom’s sightline and ignoring all the surprised stares and the look of sorrow on Harry’s face, “stop.”  
Tom’s face when he saw her was a montage of emotions; shock, surprise, anger and he spoke coldly, “I take it this is why Potter was late to the battle, you escaped,” he pointed out unnecessarily.   
She nodded and his eyes flashed, she knew that if by some sick twist of fate Tom won that those Death Eaters who had been supposed to guard her wouldn’t live long.  
Tom seemed to notice her twirling her wand absent mindedly in her hand, for he scoffed a little, “you’re not going to try and save your precious Potter are you Ginevra, you know the spells I placed on your wand, you can’t harm a hair on my head.”  
Ginny smirked in such a Slytherin-like manner that even Tom looked a little concerned, “you obviously don’t know Hermione Granger do you Tom,” she said, grinning at the hisses of disapproval from the Death Eaters as she called Voldemort by his muggle name, “brightest witch of her age,” she threw a smile over to Hermione, “and it didn’t take her long to figure out your spells and reverse them.”  
Tom’s eyes widened for just a moment before he was back to his smug self, “your wand may have power Ginevra, but our marriage bonds and my superior duelling skill mean the most you’ll do is injure me a little so why don’t you put the wand down and go back to the Manor to wait for my inevitable victory.”

Ginny couldn’t help the giggle that escaped her, increasing in volume at the incredulous looks she was receiving from both sides, “never underestimate me Tom, I may not look like much but I am intelligent and I am perfectly capable of bringing you down. While you thought I was sitting in my room, moping and reading, I was researching new spells, powerful, but still light spells and I was practicing my duelling skills. I may not be up to par with you but I am something to be reckoned with Tom Riddle.”  
Tom hissed, “do not speak that muggle name to me Ginevra, you may be skilled, it is why I chose you as a wife, but the marriage was bonded with blood and you are unable to harm me.”   
His smirk was triumphant, but he did not count of Ginny having the final ace up her sleeve.  
“You need to research better Tom,” she told him, “that marriage is ancient magic, but unlike most of the old magic it is not at all sexist. The magic flows through both of us and it can sense when one partner is undeserving of the marriage, when it is obviously forced. This magic, in our case at least, also has a huge affect on the destinies of us all.”  
Everyone looked confused at this, but hope built in the light side’s minds when they saw the spark of a smile in Dumbledore’s face and a little twinkle in his crinkled blue eyes.  
Ginny smiled brightly, “don’t you see Tom, the magic of the blood marriage YOU insisted on has become your downfall, it recognises me as a wronged party and that overrides any type of protection you may have had from me harming you.”

He looked about to speak but she silenced him by continuing on, “don’t even try and quote that prophesy bullshit to me Tom, when we were married it changed everything. The prophesy was designed in a world where you were not bonded to a staunch supporter of the light and in marrying me you changed everything. You, Tom Riddle, have just given me the power to save the whole of wizarding Britain from your twisted rule.”  
She lifted her wand and a single tear dripped down her cheek with the wonder of what could have been, had the teenage boy named Tom Riddle never turned to the dark, for the amazing man he could have been.   
Then, in front of hundreds of witnesses who were sure Harry Potter was the only one with the power to defeat Voldemort, she softly spoke only two words, “Avada Kedavra.”  
As Tom’s body dropped to the floor, his features fixed in his final expression - shock - all hell broke loose on the battlefield. Every single Death Eater seemed to turn to Ginny, the one who had killed their master and the one they would take down, even if it cost them their life. She saw that Severus seemed to be a target too, for his ‘traitorous’ behaviour, she presumed.  
Her parents, brothers, Harry, Hermione and Dumbledore all seemed to move towards her, she guessed they wanted to get her to safety before the Death Eaters ripped her to shreds - of course they hadn’t seen her practice recently. She almost smiled as five of the remaining Death Eaters surrounded her, blood in their eyes and sank into her battle stance, red hair waving in the wind and a smirk on her face.

Her self-appointed ‘rescuers’ immediately backed off, seeming to sense that she actually needed no help. These assumptions were proven correct when Ginny began fighting. Her style was fluid and controlled, but at the same time her huge variety of spells and lack of pattern made her a formidable opponent.  
Bellatrix Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange, Avery and many other Death Eaters fell at her wand during the next intense twenty minute battle. Other dangerous Death Eaters such as Lucius Malfoy, Rodolphus Lestrange and Antonin Dolohov fell with the combined efforts of the rest of the Order, renewed by Ginny’s energy and the death of Voldemort.  
By the time they were done, 80% of the Death Eaters present were dead and the other 20% were unconscious and bound; no one escaped except for the few not present and they were all bound at Malfoy Manor. Ginny stood in the middle of it all, eyes blazing and wand finally relaxed at her side.   
The Order seemed to congregate around her in awe, all with so many questions for her and some of them even a little afraid of her. She noticed some gaps in their ranks and each loss hit her, some more painfully than the others. She knew she would have to tell them all what had gone on, but she couldn’t do it there on the battlefield.

With Harry’s arm tentatively around her shoulders and the rest of the Order staring she gave them all a rueful smile, “I think it’s time we all talked.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, sorry to everyone who wanted Tom to win, but I’m the sort of person who can’t normally bear for the light side to lose and that is why I chose for the light to triumph.   
> If you find you don't like where the story is going, hold on for a while. After this there will be one more chapter and an epilogue, but then I'll be posting an alternate ending where Tom is triumphant.


	22. The Aftermath

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The entire Order ended back at their headquarters, which Ginny could now finally see for the first time, all congregated in the large meeting room with Ginny standing at the front, now more than a little nervous despite her bold appearance in battle.  
She looked at all the people staring expectantly at her and looked to Harry, who squeezed her hand reassuringly. Taking a deep breath she began, “well, I’m not sure exactly where to start, I guess it should be after we all met in the Forest of Dean. You all knew what happened up till then, everything involving … Dean.”  
The surviving Order nodded, aware of how painful the memories of Dean’s death were for Ginny and not wishing to upset her.   
She gave them a nod and continued, “Severus began teaching me potions, like Professor Dumbledore suggested and I used him to send you all messages about how I was and information about a couple of planned attacks. It was all good until He brought the bad news on the day of my birthday.”  
She paused for a moment, remembering her panicked patronus to the Order, knowing that the chances they would be able to stop the wedding were very slim.   
“I’m sure you all remember the patronus I sent, I don’t wish to repeat it. The wedding took place and was followed by … the wedding night.”   
She cringed at her own words and her eyes felt damp with tears. Molly Weasley was sobbing by this point, trying not to imagine the horrors her youngest child and only daughter had gone through.  
“I dealt with it,” said Ginny bravely, “I fought so hard against it all until I realised that He would just keep hurting people I love and do it all anyway, then I just accepted it.”   
She glanced at Fred, whose head was hung in guilt at the part he had played in getting Ginny to submit to Tom. “I don’t blame you, any of you,” she looked Fred in the eye, “don’t feel guilty about being used to make me do things I didn’t want. I had decided already, ever since Dean died, that I would never be the cause of another person’s death, no matter what the consequences to myself.”

Her words affected everyone, slightly lifting guilt from some and impressing others, she spoke wisely for one so young and Dumbledore found he was right - the time spent with Tom Riddle/Lord Voldemort had affected her a lot. She had already had him in her head for a year when she was just eleven years old and this second encounter had given her strength and maturity way beyond her years. The only other young person he knew who was close to her in maturity was Hermione Granger.  
Ginny then spoke of her rescue from Malfoy Manor, with Harry, Ron and Hermione chipping in to explain how they got through the defences. The trio had never really had time to explain how they’d rescued her, so Ginny was very impressed when she discovered what they had gone through to rescue her.  
Everyone had seen what Ginny had done to Voldemort, had heard her reasoning and were impressed by the level of intelligence she had shown - everyone could see how desperately Hermione wanted to discuss Ginny’s thought processes with her, but she had enough tact to realise it would be a painful topic for a while.  
It was soon Ginny’s turn to ask her question and she did so with no delay - “please tell me who we lost, I worked out some of them, but I can’t tell completely.”   
Dumbledore’s face went a little greyer and she could see the lines on his face more clearly than normal. “Percy came back to us when he discovered what had happened to you, he was killed by Lucius Malfoy.”   
Ginny bent her head at this, she had seen Percy missing from the group, but she had hoped he had just stayed away from the battle. Her mother wrapped an arm round her frame, crying herself for her fallen son, but trying to comfort her grieving daughter.   
Dumbledore continued, “we also lost Alastor Moody, Emmeline Vance, Mundungus Fletcher and Hagrid.”   
Ginny watched as Dumbledore’s face fell on the last name, he had known Hagrid for over fifty years and he had been a great friend, his loss hit the old wizard hard. It also had an effect on Harry, Hagrid had been the one who first introduced him to the wizarding world, had given Dudley a pig’s tail, had tea with the trio on countless occasions and told him stories of his parents.

Ginny took a deep breath, now was the time to tell them the news that she knew would not go down well with any of them. Catching the attention of the room with a small cough, she steeled herself to tell the news, “once we were … married … He wanted me to give him heirs to carry on his work. I had to take a pregnancy test each week, but they were always negative and He always had to keep trying.”  
They all nodded, sympathetic but not sure why she was telling them this, the tests were negative so she had nothing to worry about. Until she spoke again, “when He left … to go to the battle … I took another test, it was supposed to be another few days till my next one but I did it anyway. It was positive.”  
She hung her head, unable to watch as her brother’s seethed quietly, Harry clenched his fists, Hermione buried her face in her hands and Molly burst into tears. Dumbledore watched the proceedings with no twinkle in his eyes and a single tear on his wrinkled cheek.  
“I’m keeping the baby,” she told them, knowing that the first thing they would say was that she should be rid of it.   
Putting her hands up to stop the protests she knew were about to follow, she explained her decision, “I told you, no life will ever again be lost because of me. It doesn’t matter that He is dead now, I will not kill an innocent child just because of who his father is.”  
Everyone was silent for a moment, trying to process what Ginny had told them - then the entire roomful of people, Ginny included, looked to Harry. After all, it was the action he took that would affect Ginny and her unborn child most of all.

Harry stepped towards Ginny and grasped her hands in his, “I’ve known you since I was eleven years old and I’ve loved you since I was twelve, though I didn’t know it at the time. I’ve battled through so much to rid the world of Voldemort and so we could finally be together.”  
Ginny looked sorrowfully into his eyes, this was it, he was going to publicly dump her before they even got properly started. “You are carrying the child of Lord Voldemort and I know that this should disturb me … but it doesn’t.”   
Ginny looked back at Harry, hope shining in her eyes, “I love you Ginny and the fact that you are willing to carry the child of your rapist because you don’t want to kill an innocent child makes me love you more. That child is not part-Voldemort, don’t think of it like that. This child,” he placed a hand over her stomach, “is half you Ginny and that makes me love it even more.”  
Ginny threw her arms round Harry, tears streaming down her face with happiness that he had accepted her decision and her child. Harry looked straight at her, “I want to raise this child with you Ginny, I want to raise it as my own.”   
He knelt down and Ginny’s eyes widened, especially when she saw that the rest of the room’s occupants appeared to have disappeared off to places unknown while she and Harry were talking - for privacy she guessed.  
“Ginny Molly Weasley, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife and letting me raise your child as my own?”   
Ginny, who was sobbing heavily now, just nodded her head, unable to speak. Once Harry had given her the brilliant smile reserved just for her and stood up, she threw her arms round him, holding tight and never wanting to let go.  
Finally letting go, she flew out of the door and ran round the headquarters (quite a feat given their size) screaming at the top of her voice (and Ginny had a loud voice) “I’m getting married!!” It was definitely one of the happier days in the recent times.

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It wasn’t all smooth sailing from there of course - Ginny had to face her demons eventually, they all did. She and Harry were married in a small ceremony with just the Order present, Dumbledore performed the ceremony, just four days after the end of the war. The story they put out was that they’d eloped - they wanted a quick wedding so no one would question the paternity of Ginny’s child.  
Once that was over there was a few very difficult months - full of the funerals of those who had fallen. The hardest for Ginny were Percy’s and Dean’s. Percy had been her brother, though he might not have been the best at times, but in the end he had come back to the light and paid for it with his life. As for Dean, whose body they finally recovered after the fall of Voldemort, she still felt to blame for his death and though the Order decided never to tell anyone else of the fact that Ginny had seen him die, she could barely face his mother and sisters at the funeral.  
Then there was the counseling - they were all required to go through some sessions, though most of them only had a few sessions and she’d had a giggle after hearing the story of how Severus had stormed out of his first session five minutes in, insisting it was a load of rubbish and he’d be better off without it. He still encouraged her to go to her sessions though, she was one of the most affected by Voldemort.  
The sessions weren’t with an actual therapist, no one but the Order could be privy to the information that would be discussed in the sessions. They were more discussions on how she felt, what had happened, getting things off her chest, often using a Pensieve.  
Eventually though, she felt almost her old self again and everyone was recovering from the war. Kingsley was the new Minister for Magic, Dumbledore back at his post as Headmaster of Hogwarts. The trio and Ginny had all decided not to return to Hogwarts, especially with Ginny pregnant and married. But with Hermione’s help they all carried on studying and since Ginny was far ahead of her year (having done all the studying up at Malfoy Manor) all four took their N.E.W.Ts privately six months after the Final Battle and all of them passed, Hermione with near perfect marks, Ginny with excellent marks and Harry and Ron managing passes in everything.

Life was certainly looking up for them all now.


	23. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On fanfiction, Hermione and Ron's second child is named Hugo - this was written years ago and my views are rather different now - I refuse to use Hugo so I've changed the name to Edward. I also know naming a child Severus might be cruel but it sort of fits in with how this story went.

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Eight and a Half Months After The Final Battle

“Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh,” Ginny was screaming loudly, she had been for the past three hours and Harry didn’t know if his eardrums would ever recover from it. Who knew that giving birth could be so hard, he did hope the baby would come soon, his hand had already been broken and fixed three times over.  
Another two hours and Ginny Potter gave birth to a baby boy with her warm brown eyes and Tom’s jet black hair. That was good, no one would doubt the lie that Harry was his father, especially since the baby had facial features almost identical to Ginny, but in a masculine mould.  
As he had vowed, in the Witch Weekly Article the three posed for a week after the birth, Harry announced his delight at being a ‘father’ and expressed his wish to have more children with Ginny.   
The boy was names Severus Albus, after the man who had given over half his life to the war by spying for the light and also for the man who had saved so many lives, mentored so many and without whom the triumph would not have been possible. Both Ginny and Harry were pleased with the choice of name, they were names important to both, especially to Ginny, Severus had been her only contact with the outside world. But it also meant that they were free to use the names of Harry’s parents and friends for their other children, for to name the son of Voldemort after James Potter would be a terrible thing.  
The rest of the Order, the only ones to ever know of Sev’s heritage, accepted him wholeheartedly, though a little hesitatingly at first. However, once it became clear he was not the spawn of the devil and his mother’s son in every way but hair colour, they warmed to him.   
The newly free wizarding world was now under the guidance of new Minister For Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Some of Kingsley’s first changes were to remove corruption in the Ministry and repeal the anti-werewolf laws. Everyone agreed he was the best thing to happen to the country in years.  
Life was starting to get back to some semblance of normality, everyone was learning what it was like living under a rule not tainted with war, but still grieving about the losses that had come from the final battle. But time heals all and though it still hurt everyone learnt to live for the now rather than linger in the often painful past.

Five Years After The Final Battle

Sev was now five years old and already showing many signs of powerful magic, not surprising considering his parentage. Harry had Ginny now had two of their own children; James Sirius was now three years old and Lily Luna was nine months old. The two younger children had shown the occasional spark of magic, but not as much as the older Sev.  
Ron and Hermione had a two year old daughter, Rose Grace and Hermione was expecting their second child very soon, a boy they had decided to name Edward Fabien.  
Remus and Tonks’ twins were four years old and named Teddy John and Maia Andromeda. They had both inherited their mother’s Metamorphmagus abilities, which was often confusing, and to their father’s relief there was no trace of the werewolf gene in either.  
Sirius remained a playboy for a good few years after the war, until he finally met his match in Libby. They didn’t have any children yet, but Sirius couldn’t wait to pass on his Marauder genes to another generation.  
As for Ginny’s other brothers, only Charlie remained single and content to be an uncle to his sibling’s children and remain out with his dragons in Romania.   
Bill married a lovely witch called Elizabeth, who Ginny much preferred to Fleur. Their daughter, Lydia Molly, was two years old and a favourite with her grandmother Molly Weasley.  
Fred and George married Alicia Spinnett and Verity (from WWW) respectively. The twins remained working at their shop, which became even more successful once the threat of war was over. Both couples had just discovered that they were expecting a set of twins each.

Fifteen Years After The Final Battle

Sev, as he was nicknamed, remained oblivious of his heritage until his parents told him just before he was to go to Hogwarts. He was shocked and a little upset, but came to realise that it was not genes that mattered, but the people who raised him. Harry was his father in every way but genes and never let Sev forget it. He was a great favourite with Hermione and Remus, due to the studious nature he had which matched their own. Ginny had also given birth to their final child, a boy named Gideon Remus.  
Sev was now fifteen and in his fifth year of Hogwarts, he had a talent for potions cultivated by his mother and his godfather and namesake, Severus Snape. James was in his third year and had shown his father’s talent on the quidditch pitch as a seeker and his godfather Sirius’ talent as a troublemaker. Lily was in her first year and a little shy, a difficult trait with such conspicuous red hair. Little Gideon wasn’t at Hogwarts yet, being only eight years old, but he was looking forward to it and begged his brothers and sister for stories whenever they returned home.  
Rose was in her second year and already known to the teachers as a mini Hermione, much to everyone’s amusement. Though she looked like her mother, to Hermione’s relief Rose’s hair had gentle waves rather than bushy curls and her teeth were perfectly straight. Hugo was in his first year and reminded everyone of Ron as much as Rose reminded them of Hermione.  
Lydia was also in her second year and great friends with Rose. Much to her parent’s worry, but Charlie Weasley’s amusement, she had shown signs of wishing to follow in her favourite uncle’s footsteps and become a dragon tamer.   
Sirius and Elizabeth now had two children, both beautiful, clever and extremely mischievous children. Regulus Padfoot, was now nine years old, while their daughter, Odette Juliana, was five years old and a complete daddy’s girl. Sirius was already teaching both children about pranking, Quidditch and the importance of making sure they were in Gryffindor house when the time came for them to attend Hogwarts.  
Fred and George’s twins were now nine years old, and already giving their fathers a run for their money with reputation despite not yet having set foot in Hogwarts. Their mothers were often at their wits end, while their fathers were no help since they just encouraged them. Fred and Alicia’s were Nicholas George and Lindsay Olivia. George and Verity had identical twin boys to make even more mischief and named them Matthew Arthur and Liam Fred. All four children gained the trademark Weasley red hair.  
All the children of the Order were Gryffindors, unsurprisingly. Many of them, especially Sev, Lily, Rose, Maia, Odette and Regulus, were incredibly intelligent and could have been in Ravenclaw, but they all had such a sense of adventure and trouble that every one ended up in Gryffindor, much to their parent’s delight.

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They all remained happy, slowly grieving from any losses they had been dealt and moving on with their lives and families. Harry’s scar never bothered him again, though his fame and Rita’s acid quill continued to harass him. Ginny managed pretty well and after a few years her regular nightmares of Tom almost completely vanished, though she occasionally woke with a start after a rare one, even years later.   
But she moved on, her only reminder in her son, who looked so unlike his father that he scarcely reminded her of him. Yes, she was very happy in her life and she wouldn’t have traded it for the world.

As for Tom, well he was in a place to hellish to be described, trapped within boundaries, unable to use magic or violence. He was in the place reserved only for the most evil of magical beings and he would never be able to haunt Ginny again. She was finally safe.


	24. Alternate Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alright, this is an alternate ending for all of you out there who didn’t like the fact that Tom was defeated and killed. The end of this fic still has a little feeling of angst, but Tom and Ginny both survive. I hope this satisfies those of you who didn’t particularly like the main ending. Enjoy  
> This alternate ending starts off at the end of the chapter called ‘Complications’.

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Ginny stood pacing the length of her room and occasionally chewing on her bottom lip in worry. She knew the final battle was taking place right that moment and she was petrified for the outcome. Every noise made her jump and she waited, terrified, for the door to open and for the victor of the battle to walk in.  
She had been wearing holes in the carpet for what must have been six hours when the door finally swung open and a lone figure stood there. The figure was tall with dark hair and a thin frame, it could be either Harry or Tom and she knew for sure that her hope was all pinned on it being the bespectacled, emerald eyed saviour.   
The figure stepped in to the light and she could finally see the face of the victor of the greatest wizarding war of the century.

It was …. Tom.

Her heart sunk, but that meant, it couldn’t be.   
She managed to croak out the words, “does this mean … please tell me you haven’t won.”   
Tom merely smirked triumphantly, “I’m afraid so Ginevra, you are looking at the new leader of wizarding Britain.”  
“No, no, it can’t be, this can’t be happening,” Ginny was crying now, she truly was trapped forever now, no one to save her now.   
She dropped onto her bed in shock, “how … how many … who did the light lose?”  
Tom brightened, “I was hoping you’d ask that Ginevra. Well I think you can guess that Potter died, he was never any match for me.”   
Ginny’s breath caught in her throat, Harry was dead, the only boy she had ever loved was dead and never coming back. The light’s saviour was gone. Tom ploughed on, regardless of her silent heartbreak, “anyway once he and that muggle-loving fool Dumbledore was dead it was pretty clear who was going to win. I gave all those surviving a choice, join me or face the consequences.”

Ginny shook her head, the tears pouring and staining her clothes, “what happened?”   
Tom smiled, “well for a large proportion their intrinsic selfishness came out and 90% of those not in the main group of your Order of the Phoenix surrendered and were taken off to be registered and returned to the world as good law abiding citizens. The other 10% of that lot put up a bit of a fight and I’m afraid I had to kill them.”  
She looked at him in shock, how could he be so callous about just killing so many people for standing up for themselves, but then she remembered he wasn’t just Tom, he was Lord Voldemort. So then she asked the question she was most dreading the answer to, “what about the inner circle of the Order?”  
“Ah well I’m glad you asked that Ginevra, those surviving from that group of people would certainly have put up a fight if they hadn’t immediately been disarmed. They are here now, in the manor, I shall have them brought in since I’m sure you’d love to see them. Then I have a proposition for you, for it shall be you who decide their fate by your decision.”  
Ginny didn’t like the sound of that but nodded her head and Tom sent a message to a Death Eater.

Five minutes her door opened and two Death Eaters escorted a line of magically chained prisoner in, they were all dirty, covered in mud and blood, dishevelled but all looked like they had no more than superficial wounds. Tom dismissed the Death Eaters and stood up to survey the prisoners, ignoring their shouts and profanities when they saw him. They went silent when Ginny stood and went over to them, looking down the line with red, puffy eyes.  
She knew them all of course and she cried when she’d seen them all and knew who was missing - who was dead. She saw her mother, Bill and both twins … so that meant she’d lost her father, Charlie, Percy and Ron. She was pleased to see Hermione, Tonks, Sirius and Remus among the living prisoners, all with defiant looks on their faces as they glared at Tom.  
Tom pulled out a list, “I have a full list of the dead from the main Order if you wish to hear it.”   
She nodded, she didn’t want to know, but she couldn’t bear not knowing. He began reading, his face showing no trace of sorrow and even some slight smugness at his triumph. Ginny found it disgusting.  
She listened as Tom’s baritone voice read out the dead, silently mourning for each of them; “Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore, Arthur Weasley, Percival Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Ronald Weasley, Severus Snape (the traitor), Minerva McGonagall, Rubeus Hagrid, Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood and Mundungus Fletcher.”

By the end of the list Ginny was howling with sorrow, her outfit ruined beyond repair by tears and her whole face blotchy, red and tear stained. The same could be said for her chained family and friends, or what was left of them.   
Tom had done it to deliberately to hurt them, she knew that much from his sly grin. “If it makes you all feel better, I lost some of my best fighters too, including Crabbe, Goyle, Nott and Rosier. Then that one,” he pointed at Hermione, “killed Bella, which would have vexed me greatly if I didn’t have you Ginevra darling.”  
The deaths of a few Death Eaters did not make it any better for Ginny, though she had to admit she was pleased by Bellatrix’s death, the insane woman had never liked her and after all she had done she deserved death.

Tom turned to her, “well Ginevra, it looks like you have a choice to make and you have two options. If you choose the first option then I will let you and two of your family or friends go free. You can make a new start in a new country and none of my death eaters or myself will ever bother you again. However if you choose this option then the six you leave behind will die.”  
He paused for effect, to allow the offer and it’s consequences to sink in to Ginny’s mind. “The second option is one I am giving you only due to my pleasure at the outcome of the war, inevitable as I believed it was. In this option all this lot,” he gestured to the eight prisoners, “will be kept alive. We will move to another manor I own just outside London and they will live in what was the dungeon level. They will, I’m afraid, have no magic and have to live as muggles, at least for a while. Furniture and food will be provided, but they will be expected to make their own meals, I am not wasting house elves on them. You will of course be able to visit regularly.”  
Ginny was suspicious, the deal was a good one, much better than what she had suspected, which was for them to be killed. But there must be something else, it couldn’t be that good.   
“What’s the catch,” she asked him, “this is too good to be true, there has to be a cost.”   
Tom nodded, “of course there’s a catch Ginevra, I am a Slytherin after all. For this option to be viable then you have to agree to submit to me. Not entirely of course, it wouldn’t be any fun if you had no fire in you, so you can argue and debate away. But I would be the final authority and if I ordered something then you would do it. You will bear me heirs, appear at public functions and so forth, the only thing I will promise is that you will never have to kill.”  
She thought about it, she was already pregnant with Tom’s child, though he did not know yet. She wouldn’t tell him for it could change the choices she was given and she didn’t want that, she knew that the options she currently had were the best it would get. To remain with Tom for the rest of her life was a terrible choice, he was a mass-murderer, had killed Harry, Dumbledore, Severus and four members of her family along with countless others. She didn’t want to continue being practically raped by him, didn’t want to bring innocent children into the world to be moulded to evil purposes.  
But … if she chose the first option she would be condemning the other six to die and how would she choose only two of them. If she picked the second option then they would all live, she could see them all regularly and maybe eventually work out a way to get them all out.  
She turned to gaze upon the eight people remaining of those she loved, tears in her eyes and conflict on her face. “Don’t do it Ginny,” was what they said, “you’ve gone through too much already, if we can just have you free then it will be ok. It’s too high a cost to let us all live.”

Ginny looked away, it didn’t really matter what they said, she’d been sold on the second idea the minute she found out it would enable them all to live. She turned her gaze onto Tom, who scrutinised her expression before his face showed pleasure, he knew her choice.  
“The second option,” she almost whispered it, “I pick the second option. I’ll submit to you, do what you ask. As long as you let them live and let me see them I will do it.”  
She could hear the protests from her family and friends but she just silenced them with one pleading stare. “I know you want me to be free but there was never any other option, I’ve lost too many other people to cope with losing more, even if I am free because of it. After Dean I promised I would never be directly responsible for another person’s death and I will stick to that promise. Please don’t think any less of me because of it.”  
Though they all still looked pained at her decision, they nodded their heads reluctantly, everyone knew how stubborn Ginny could be and they knew better than to argue with her over such a big decision. They murmured thanks to her too, after all she had just saved all their lives at the cost of her own freedom and innocence.  
Ginny dropped her head as the eight remaining members of her family and friends were led out to their new accommodations. She’d always coped with her captivity by looking for the light at the end of the tunnel. There was no such light any more - Harry Potter was dead and so was Dumbledore. Anyone who might have started a resistance force was either captured or killed. She guessed she was just going to have to get used to a life of captivity.

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15 Years Later

Ginny frowned as she stared in the mirror, this hadn’t been what she had expected her life to turn out like - she was supposed to be married to Harry in a world free of Voldemort and with lots of little children running round with names like Lily and James. Instead she was married to Tom, dictator of the wizarding world and father of her three children.  
He had expanded his rule from just wizarding Britain all over the world and ten years after the Final Battle he officially conquered the whole world - it seemed no one breathed without his express permission and Ginny was almost grateful to be on the inside rather than following countless rules outside.  
Tom was very much the same as he had been at the beginning of their marriage - she thought that the rape would stop after she had given him three children, but it seemed that in his own twisted way he loved her and actually wanted to have sex with her for pleasure. She never enjoyed it, but in the end she got used to it.  
She visited the eight remaining members of the Order in their prison quarters as often as possible. They could use no magic and she couldn’t take her wand with her - Tom feared she would give it to one of them and, if she had the chance, she probably would have. They were supplied with everything they needed to live the muggle way and it was lucky they had Hermione for none of them had much idea how to use muggle appliances.

None of them had ever met her two sons - Tom didn’t want them ’corrupted by what remained of the light side’. Ginny herself was rarely allowed to see them, they had been taken from her as soon as they were born to be raised by nannies and taught only by Tom himself.   
Arcturus was fourteen and Anthony was eight, yet they acted like fully grown Death Eaters. She only saw them at dinner on Sundays and at formal occasions and often cried at night at what she saw - their eyes and manners were cold and they had no affection for anyone - it broke her heart to see her children like that. She sometimes wondered if it was Tom’s punishment for the fact that she hid her pregnancy until after the deal to save her family and friend’s lives had been agreed on with an unbreakable vow.  
The one positive in her life, aside from her visits to the remaining Order, was her daughter - Sofia Molly Riddle. Tom was not to bothered by his ten year old daughter, girls weren’t of much consequence as few had the personality to be a Death Eater. He had allowed Ginny to name the girl, though he was not best pleased by her middle name and she was allowed to look after Sofia - Tom only seeing her occasionally. These circumstances meant Sofia remained uncorrupted by the dark side and always went with her mother to see her uncles, grandmother and the rest of the remaining Order. They all loved the little girl and Molly was delighted to actually be able to see her granddaughter.

Reflecting on it all, Ginny supposed her life could be worse - she at least had her daughter, some of her family and friends and a comfortable life, which was more than could be said about many under Tom’s regime. She wondered at that sometimes - why she still called Voldemort Tom - she guessed his physical appearance was of Tom and at times he could be the boy she remembered, sweet and charming.   
She would never forget Harry, her father, Charlie, Percy, Ron, Severus, Dumbledore or any of the other good witches and wizards who lost their lives trying to free Britain from Tom’s rule. But she had to accept her life as it was now and live for her daughter and the family and friends who remained. She had to remain in Tom’s good graces to give her some influence to curb some of his more drastic rules. She had a job too, it might not involve fighting or dying, but it was something and she would do it. Yes, she supposed she was … content … in her life.


End file.
